4.3 Population Growth

Question: Survivorship curve

Answer: Graph that shows how the likelihood of death varies with age.

Question: Immigration

Answer: The arrival of individuals from outside a given area.

Question: Emigration

Answer: The departure of individuals from a given area.

Question: Exponential growth

Answer: When a population increases by a fixed percentage each year.

Question: Limiting factor

Answer: A characteristic of the environment that limits population growth.

Question: Carrying capacity

Answer: The largest population size a given environment can sustainably support.

Question: Logistic growth

Answer: How a population’s initial exponential increase is slowed and finally stopped by limiting factors.

Question: Density-dependent factor

Answer: A limiting factor whose influence changes with the population density.

Question: Density-independent factor

Answer: A limiting factor whose influence is unaffected by population density.

Question: Biotic potential

Answer: The maximum ability to produce offspring in ideal conditions.