BIOLOGY NAME ______________________

UNIT 3 – ECOLOGY DATE _______________________

Ch. 5 – Populations PERIOD _____________________
POGIL – Population Distribution
WHY?
Alaska contains over 127 million acres of untouched forest land. It is the largest state in the United States, yet with a population of nearly
700,000 people it has the same total population as Austin, Texas. New Jersey is one of the smallest states and home to a population of
nearly 9 million, but almost 1.8 million of its 4.4 million total land acres are untouched natural woodland. What are the reasons for the ways
populations organize themselves, and what effect does this organization have on the environment?

MODEL 1 – POPULATION DENSITY & DISTRIBUTION

1. Refer to Model 1.
a. What do the dots in the diagrams represent? ____________________
b. What do the boxes in the diagrams represent?
____________________

2. Calculate the area of a single habitat. __________

3. Consider the arrangements of the dots in Model 1.

a. Describe the arrangements of the dots in habitat 3. _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Describe the arrangement of the dots in habitat 4. _________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Fill in the table below by counting the # of individuals in each habitat in Model 1 and then calculate the area available per individual.

Habitat No. Area (km2) No. of Individuals No. of Individuals/Unit area (Density)
1

1
 5

5. Refer to the completed table above.

a. Which habitat shows a high population density? ____________________
b. Which habitat shows the lowest population density? ____________________

6. Draw a vertical line through the middle of each of the boxes in model 1. Label the left side “a” and the right side “b” on each box.
Complete the table below for each half of each habitat.

Habitat No. Area (km2) No. of Individuals No. of Individuals/Unit area (Density)

a
1
b

a
2
b

a
3
b

a
4
b

a
5
b

7. For which of the habitats in Model 1 is population density very similar between sides a and b? __________________________________

8. For which of the habitats in Model 1 is the population density quite different between sides a and b? _____________________________

9. Label each of the diagrams on Model 1 using the terms clumped (clustered), random, and uniform (even) to describe the population
distribution within the boxes.

10. Compare and contrast the terms population density and population distribution. ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Assuming the population size stays constant; propose at least two factors that might cause a population to shift from a low density
habitat to a high density habitat?
1. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Animals such as lions or wolves often show clumped distribution. Give a reason why this would be advantageous for these animals.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2
 13. Other than social reasons, list two other factors that may lead to clumped distribution patterns in populations.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. For each of the organisms listed below state the type of population distribution and population density of their habitat. Give a reason for
each answer.
Organism Distribution Density Reason

Tigers

Bison

Ants

Dandelions

Apple trees in
an orchard

MODEL 2 – FACTORS AFFECTING DENSITY

15. Refer to Model 2. Factor Density Dependent Density Independent

a. Which factors are dependent on the Food supply X
population density? _______________
Rainfall X

Flood X

Parasites X

Acidity X

Disease X

Drought X

Competition X

Predation X
______________________________________________________________

b. Describe how the food supply would be affected by the population density.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

c. Describe how the levels or spread of disease would be affected by population density. _____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What do all the density-independent factors have in common? __________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. In your own words, define density dependent and density independent by completing the sentences below.
Density-dependent factors are _______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3
 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Density-independent factors are _____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Density-independent factors and density-dependent factors may be interrelated. For example, a lack of rainfall that causes a drought
will impact the food supply in a habitat. Propose another pairing of a density-independent factor and density-dependent factor that might
occur. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

READ THIS!
Allelopathy (allelon – “of each other” and pathos – “to suffer”) is the chemical inhibition of one species by another. This phenomena is
frequently found in plants where one species of plant releases a chemical into the environment that inhibits the growth of another species of
plant. An example is the Creosote bush, which releases terpenes into the surrounding soil to inhibit the growth of other plants.

19. Describe what might be observed in a habitat that would indicate a plant species is allelopathic? _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Considering what you know about population distribution, what type of distribution is likely to arise as a result of allelopathy? _________
_________________________________ Justify your answer using complete sentences._____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. What would be some advantages of allelopathy to a plant? ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. What would be some disadvantages to the ecosystem where allelopathic plants grow? ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Is it likely that a species that exhibits allelopathy would evolve over time? __________ Explain your answer using what you know about
the mechanisms of evolution. _______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. The sorghum plant releases the allelotoxin sorgolene that disrupts mitochondrial functions and inhibits photosynthesis. Brainstorm with
your group some positive applications for this allelotoxin.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________