Population dynamics

A population is when members of the same species live in the same habitat so interbreeding occurs.
Population dynamics is how individuals in a population changes over a period of time. Biotic and
abiotics factors affect the population but they are density independent factors and the other factors
are density dependant when the population reaches a certain
For example, resources, if there is an abundance of resources, the population will increase
exponentially (by e
x
)
-draw graph -
Dependent independent factors -
events or conditions, often weather- or climate-related, that affect all individuals equally, regardless of
the overall population density. A hard freeze, for example, will kill the same high percentage of the
potato leafhoppers in a farmer's peanut field -- no matter if the population contains a few hundred or
a few million individuals. In another species, high temperatures and/or low humidity might have a
similar, non-selective impact on mortality. Favorable climatic conditions can have a positive effect on
population density just as much as unfavorable conditions can have a negative effect.
Many factors, typically physical or chemical in nature (abiotic), influence the mortality of a population
regardless of its density. They include weather, natural disasters, and pollution. An individual deer may
be killed in a forest fire regardless of how many deer happen to be in that area. Its chances of survival
are the same whether the population density is high or low.
A dense population that is reduced in a density-independent manner by some environmental factor(s)
will be able to recover differently than would a sparse population.The density of a population can be
regulated by various factors, including biotic and abiotic factors and population size.

Density-Dependent Factors include events or conditions that change in severity as a population's size
increases or decreases. Common examples of density-dependent factors include predation,
parasitism, and disease (one species exploiting another). A large, dense population, for example, is
usually more susceptible to the spread of parasites or contagious disease than a small, sparse
population. Predators often adapt to changes in the density of their prey populations by migrating
into areas of high prey density (numerical response) or by focusing their attention primarily on the
most abundant prey species (behavioral response). As a result, large and small populations tend to
suffer different rates of predation. Competition for limited resources is also density-dependent --
each individual's share of the "pie" decreases as a population grows numerically. In a small
population, members may face competition mostly from individuals of other species who use the
same resources (interspecific competition). In large populations, however, competition may also
come from other members of the same species (intraspecific competition). In either case,
competition undermines survival and reproduction. Any physical trait or behavioral adaptation that
reduces or eliminates competition is likely to be favored by natural selection.

Intraspecific Competition
Contest Competition: In situations where
resources (food, space, etc.) are fairly stable over
time, intraspecific competition may take the form
of "contests" in which individuals lay claim to a
"territory" and defend it from all intruders. Each
territory generally provides enough resources for
the owner's survival and reproduction; failure to
"win" a territory can be a competitive
disadvantage. Since only the strongest (most
"fit") individuals are likely to hold a territory, they
have the best chance to pass on their genes to the
next generation.

Interspecific Competition
Each species occupies a unique ecological niche
within its community. The niche is a Gestalt-
like concept encompassing all of the biotic and
abiotic parameters that determine where a
population lives (its "habitat") as well as the role
it plays within the food web (its
"profession"). Interspecific competition occurs
whenever the niche parameters of two (or more)
different species overlap. The more the
overlap, the greater the competition.
Interspecific competition usually leads to one of
Scramble Competition: In situations where
resources are temporary or transient, there is little
or no advantage to defending a territory. Insects
that compete for these types of resources (blow
flies on a corpse, for example) "scramble" for
access. The first arrivals encounter the best
conditions for survival and reproduction (first
come, first served). Latecomers encounter a
depleted resource that may no longer support
growth and development.
three possible evolutionary outcomes:
1. Competitive exclusion -- one species is
competitively superior and drives the
other species to extinction.
2. Range restriction -- each species is
confined to a subset of the range
where it is able to out-compete the
other species.
3. Competitive displacement -- the two
species evolve in divergent directions,
adapting to different resources or
specializing in other ways that allow
them to co-exist with little or no direct
competition.

Density-dependent emigration (movement away from crowded conditions) is another important regulator of
population size. It not only reduces overcrowding in the home range, but it also increases the likelihood of
establishing new populations elsewhere. In the long term, emigration benefits the individuals who remain
behind as well as the pioneers who find new places to live.
Cooperative interactions may also give populations a competitive advantage, allowing them to reduce
mortality, use resources more efficiently, or accomplish tasks that could not be performed by solitary
individuals. Intraspecific cooperation has certainly contributed to the evolutionary success of all social insects
(ants, bees, wasps, and termites). These species outnumber all other animals in many terrestrial habitats and,
despite their small size, they usually play dominant roles in community ecology, both as consumers and as
decomposers. Cooperative interactions between different species (i.e. mutualism and commensalism) are also
common in the insect world. These symbiotic relationships occur not only between different insect species (e.g.
ants and aphids) but also between insects and microorganisms, between insects and vertebrates, and between
insects and plants.

Obviously, exponential growth cannot continue indefinitely in a resource-limited
environment. Eventually a population becomes so large that it runs out of free space,
outgrows its food supply, or exhausts other assets. The upper limit on population density is
called the environmental carrying capacity (usually represented by the symbol "K"). As
population density approaches the carrying capacity, competition becomes more intense,
mortality increases, the birth rate drops, and any one of the following alternatives is possible:
The population may level out and stabilize below the carrying capacity. This pattern is
known as a logistic or sigmoid (S-shape) growth curve.
The population may briefly overshoot the carrying capacity and then crash, resulting in
repeated cycles of "boom" and "bust".
The population may oscillate around (or below) the carrying capacity.