*Population Dynamics
• Populations are dynamic…………constantly changing
• Some are seriously declining and threatened with
extinction
• Others are experiencing growth
• Therefore biologists are constantly studying
populations to observe and monitor changing
environmental conditions that affect population size
* Characteristics of Populations
• To study populations, scientists measure
characteristics like:
• POPULATION SIZE – estimated total number of
individuals occupying a given area at a given time
• POPULATION DENSITY – number of individuals of
the same species that occur per unit area or
volume
* How to calculate population
density
Population Density (D) = total number of organisms counted
(N) space occupied by the population (S)
D = N/S
• For example: There are 480 moose living in a 600 hectare (ha)
region of Algonquin park. What is the population density?
• D = N/S
• D = 480moose/600ha
• D = 0.8 moose/ha
* Population Density
• Population density can be deceiving because of used or unusable
space within a habitat. Therefore, population density can be
divided into 2 forms:
• Crude Density: the number of individuals of the same species
per total unit area or volume. This was just calculated.
• Ecological Density: the number of individuals of the same
species per unit area or volume actually used by the individuals.
Ex: There are 480 moose living in a 600 hectare (ha) region of
Algonquin park. However moose do not utilize open lake
water which takes up 70ha of the 600ha. What is the
ecological density?
• D = 480 moose/600ha – 70ha
• D = 0.9 moose/ha
Population Dispersion
• General pattern in which individuals are distributed
through a specified area
• There are 3 main Dispersal Patterns
• CLUMPED DISPERSION
• Most common
• Organisms are densely grouped in areas of the habitat
with favorable conditions
• May also be a result of social behaviour
• Ex. Fish swimming in large schools to gain protection
POPULATION DISPERSION
• UNIFORM DISPERSION
• Rare in nature
• Individuals are evenly distributed throughout the habitat
• May result from competition between individuals that set
up territories for feeding, breeding, or resting
• Ex. Nesting penguins
POPULATION DISPERSION
• RANDOM DISPERSION
• Also rare in nature
• When organisms are minimally influenced by interactions
with other individuals
• Habitat conditions are usually uniform
• Ex. In tropical rain forests, trees of the same species can be
random in nature
Measuring Populations
• In very rare instances, biologists can make an exact
count of the total number of individuals in a population
• However populations are dynamic and their number and
geographic locations change over time, making a precise
count impractical
• Therefore, biologists count a sample of a population at a
particular time then estimate a total size
• There are a variety of different sampling methods. Two
main ones are:
• Quadrat Method
• Mark and Recapture Method
Quadrat Method
• A large area, such as a forest, can be sampled using small
selected areas in which a sampling frame, or QUADRAT, is
placed
• The number of individuals of one or more species can be
counted within each quadrat
• Population size and density can then be estimated through
calculations based on counts within the quadrats
• Quadrat sampling is most effective for stationary species such as
the populations of different tree species in a forest
Quadrat Calculations
• Sample Problem: A student wants to estimate the population size and density of
ragweed plants in a large field measuring 100m x 100m. She randomly places three
2.0m x 2.0m quadrats in the field. Estimate the population density and size if she finds
18, 11, and 24 ragweed plants in the three quadrats.
• Estimated Population Density = Total number of individuals found
Total Sample Area
= 18 + 11 + 24
4m2 + 4m2 + 4m2
= 4.4 ragweed plants/m2
• Estimated Population Size = Estimated Population Density x total size of area
studied
= 4.4 ragweed plants/m2 x (100m x 100m)
= 4.4 ragweed plants/m2 x 10,000m2
= 44,000 ragweed plants
Mark and Recapture Method
• A sampling technique for measuring mobile wildlife
populations such as fish is the MARK AND RECAPTURE METHOD
• A sample of animals are captured, marked in some way and
then released
• Techniques for capturing and and marking must be carefully
planned so that the chances of each individual being caught
are equal
• Marking techniques must not harm the organism or restrict its
normal activities and must remain clearly visible
• Under ideal conditions no new individuals must enter the
populations, and no marked animals should leave or die
Mark and Recapture Calculations
• Sample Problem: Consider a fish population of unknown size
from which 26 individuals are randomly captured, marked and
released. Assume that the released individuals move randomly
through the population. If a second sample of 21 individuals is
captured sometime later in which 3 are found to be marked.
Estimate the population size.
• Estimated Population Size: Total # Marked (M) = # of marked in 2nd sample (m)
Population Size (N) Size of second sample (n)
: M = m 26 = 3
N n N 21 Cross Multiply
: N = 26 x 21 Therefore N = 182
Homework
• Section 12.1
• Answer #1, 5, 6, 7
