This document discusses population dynamics and factors that affect population sizes. It covers monitoring wild populations and how succession leads to climax plant communities. Density-independent factors like temperature and rainfall can influence populations. Density-dependent factors such as disease, food supply, predation, and competition also impact population change. Monitoring is important to understand wild population fluctuations over time. Succession describes the process by which pioneer species are replaced by later species until a climax community establishes.

1. Population Dynamics SQA HIGHER BIOLOGY Unit 3: Control and Regulation

2. What affects population size?

3. How do we monitor populations?

4. What population changes can be seen here?

5. Learning Content Regulation of plant and animal populations: Population fluctuations: the relative stability of populations, despite short-term oscillations in number. Factors influencing population change. Density-independent factors to include temperature and rainfall. Density-dependent factors to include disease, food supply, predation and competition. Monitoring populations. The need to monitor wild populations. Succession and climax in plant communities.

6. Regulation of Populations What is a population? What is meant by… birth rate death rate population dynamics population density carrying capacity dynamic equilibrium

7. Factors What is meant by reproductive potential and environmental resistance? Explain the difference between ‘density-independent’ and ‘density-dependent’ factors. Outline examples of each type of factor. Complete the Density Worksheet. What is the link between population dynamics and homeostasis?

8. Monitoring Populations Why do we need to monitor wild populations? Outline one example for each of these purposes.

9. Succession

10. Succession What is plant succession? What is a pioneer community? Can you think of examples of these? What is the climax community? What is primary succession? What is secondary succession? What causes succession? What are the characteristics of a climax community? How do these differ in a pioneer community?

11. Succession What is the difference between ‘climatic’ and ‘edaphic’ climax communities? How do humans affect succession? How does intensive grazing affect succession?

12. Congratulations You've reached the end of the Higher course!!