Topic

2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Changes
Species vary in their Biotic Potential
= the capacity for population growth
with unlimited resources and ideal
conditions.
Resources can include: food
Ideal conditions: shelter

oxygen

weather

water

light

no predation

space
mates

nutrients

Topic 2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

No population can grow indefinitely!

Number of sheep (millions)

Every environment has Environmental

Resistance = the combination of all
factors that act to limit the growth of a
2.0
population (Limiting
factors)(lack of
1.5
resources and or 1.0
environmental
.5
conditions)
1800

1825

1850

1875 1900
Year

1925

Topic 2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

The Biotic Potential + Environmental Resistance = Carrying Capacity

Number of sheep (millions)

Every environment has a CARRYING

CAPACITY = the maximum
2.0
number of individuals
1.5
of a given species
1.0
that can be sustained
.5
indefinitely in a given
space.
1800 1825 1850
1875
Year

1900

1925

Topic 2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Regulation of Populations

(carrying

capacity)

Density Dependent
1. Competition within and between
species.
2. Immigration and emigration.
Density Independent
3. Natural and human caused
catastrophes.

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Regulation of Populations (carrying

capacity)

Internal Factors = act within the

population or species. Factors that the
organisms require
and a lack there of will limit their
population.
External Factors = come from outside the

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

J Population Growth Curve

This rarely happens in

natural situations.

Population size (N)

This happens in habitats with abundant

resources and will continue until the
resources become exhausted.

Time (t)

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

S Population Growth Curve

involves initial exponential growth and then

there is a steady decrease in growth as the
population encounters
environmental resistance
and approaches carrying
capacity and levels off.

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Plateau phase

Carrying capacity
K

Population size (N)

Transitional phase

Exponential phase

Time (t)

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

r and K Selected Species (r+K strategists)

r-selected species:
- Have a high biotic potential
- Give rise to many small offspring and give
them little or no care
- They are opportunists
- Reproduce rapidly when conditions are
favorable or when disturbances open up a
new habitat.
Examples are algae, bacteria, rodents, frogs, turtles, annual
plants, and most insects.

Topic 2
Population
Dynamics

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

K-selected species:
- Have a low biotic potential
- Give rise to few offspring and
have long life spans.
- They are competitors

Examples are mammals, birds of prey, and large and long-lived plants.

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-Describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including, K- and
r- strategists.
-Describe the role of density-dependent and density-independent factors, and
internal and external factors, in the regulation of populations.
-Describe the concept and processes of succession in a named habitat.

Survivorship Curves

Type 1 are K strategists, they live a long time and then die off when
they are old
Type 3 are r strategists,
they give birth to many
individual and lots of
them die off quickly.
The ones that survive
can live for a long time.
Type 2 they die off little
by little, very consistently
over time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu6ouKt9zhs

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-Describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including, K- and
r- strategists.
-Describe the role of density-dependent and density-independent factors, and
internal and external factors, in the regulation of populations.
-Describe the concept and processes of succession in a named habitat.

Succession

Succession
Succession is the process by which a devastated community evolves
through
seral stages into a climax community.
Primary Succession = starts out as an area completely devoid of life,
with no soil.

Secondary Succession = starts out as an area with much of its life

destroyed and still has soil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V49IovRSJDs

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Factors affecting climax communities

limate and edaphic factors determines the makeup o

limax community

ic factors are the physical, chemical, biological properties of soil such as water
content, texture and pH.

ural and Humans causes can interfere with the make

e climax community, causing deflected succession.

al causes are fires and landslides

an causes are the clearing of the rainforest

ath of climax community will then be altered so we say that a deflected successi
aken place and gives rise to a Plagioclimax. Plagio = slanting

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Human influences in climax commun

Rainforest

Prairies

Moorland

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Clearing the Rainforest

ing and cutting down the forest for crop farming and grazing
ents the rainforest from achieving climax community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s66r_00Zf60

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

The conversion of the Prairies

ome areas of America, fires and human use have removed al

s and shrubs leaving the lands open for buffalo grass and blu
ma to take its place.

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Deforestation of the Moorland

The northern part of the United Kingdom was once

heavily forested and is now dominated by heather.

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Dont confuse succession with

Zonation

Topic
2.6
Changes

Students will be able to:

-describe the ways in which populations can change
-define carrying capacity and describe factors that affect it.
-describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including k- and
r- strategists.
-describe and explain S and J population growth curves.

Energy flow and productivity at

different stages of succession

P:R = 1
P:R > 1
P:R < 1

production is equal to respiration

biomass accumulates
biomass is lost