Anchoring Phenomena

❑ The Aleutian Islands are a chain of 14 large volcanic islands and

55 smaller islands in the northern Pacific Ocean.
❑ They are an extremely diverse ecosystem and home to many
different species.
❑ But…. Ecologists are concerned that the ecosystem is collapsing.
❑ Why?
❑ They believe it all started with the disappearance of the sea otter.
Anchoring Phenomena
❑ So, what happened to the sea otters?

❑ This question will be our driving question over the next

few days.

❑ Complete the
Anchoring
Phenomena
Research
assignment.
Anchoring Phenomena
❑ Let’s continue to
investigate the mystery of
the collapsing ecosystem of
the Aleutian Islands in the
northern Pacific Ocean.

❑ Using what you learned in

your research, complete
the Feeding Relationships
in the Pacific Northwest
activity.
Population Ecology
❑ In order to fully understand the
phenomena of the dramatic
decline in the otter population of
the Aleutian Islands, we must first
seek to learn more about
populations within an ecosystem.

❑ Today, our focus is on population

ecology - a subfield of ecology that
deals with the dynamics of species
populations and how these
populations interact with the
environment.
Question
What is a population?
Characteristics of a Population
❑ Population: A group of
What is the
individuals that belong to population size in this
the same species that live image?
in the same area at the
same time.

❑ Population size: The

number of individuals in
the population.

Size is a very important characteristic of a population but

can be very difficult to measure.
Characteristics of a Population
❑ Geographic distribution is the
range of the population.

❑ This term describes the area that

is inhabited by the population.

❑ The range can vary in size.

❑ It may be just a few centimeters,

such as the mold on a piece of
bread. The range can also be
huge, such as the alpine meadows
of Yellowstone National Park.
Characteristics of a Population
❑ Population density is the
number of individuals per unit
area.
❑ Density is one of the main
characteristics that describe a
population.
❑ There is tremendous variation in
density depending on the
species and the ecosystem.
❑ Some populations have low
densities, while other
populations have high densities.
Characteristics of a Population
❑ Population Dispersion: the spatial distribution of
individuals within the population
❑ 3 types:
• random
• clumped
• uniform/even
Check for Understanding
Provide an example for each type of distribution:
• random
• uniform
• clumped
Characteristics of a Population
❑ A population sample can be conducted to determine
the population density of a species.

❑ By tracking populations over time, ecologists can see

how these populations have changed and may be able
to predict how they're likely to change in the future.

❑ Today, we will model a

common population
sampling technique
called quadrat
sampling.
 Population Dynamics
❑ All populations are
dynamic, meaning that
they change in size and
composition over time.

To understand the changes that are taking place in a population,

the following must be considered:
1. birth rate:
the number of births occurring in a given period of time
2. death rate or mortality rate:
the number of deaths in a given period of time
3. life expectancy:
the length of time an individual is expected to live
 Patterns of Mortality
❑ The mortality rate of the individuals in the population
generally follows one of the following patterns.
 Patterns of Mortality
These are called survivorship curves because they show the
likelihood of survival at different ages throughout the
lifetime of the organism.
 Population Growth
❑ A population may remain
very stable over time, or
there can be fluctuations
in population size.
❑ At any given time, a
population may
experience tremendous
growth or rapid decline.
Growth Rate:
the amount by which a population’s size changes over a
given time period
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Population Growth
There are three factors that
can greatly increase or
decrease the size of a
population:

1. # of births
2. # of deaths
3. # individuals that enter
(immigration) or
leave (emigration) the
population
 Population Growth
❑ If more individuals are being born than die, the
population size will increase. How would you describe the graph
for each of these scenarios?
❑ If birth rate is equal to
death rate, the
population will remain
stable.

❑ If the death rate is

greater than the birth
rate, the population
will decrease.
 Population Growth
❑ When studying population density, it’s important to ask
the following questions:
▪ Why is the birth rate unusually high/low?
▪ Why are more individuals dying than normal?
▪ Is there a reason for an unusually high
immigration/emigration rate?
 Population Growth
❑ There are 2 ways to describe population growth:
❑ exponential
❑ logistic
 Population Growth
❑ Exponential growth describes a population that is
increasing rapidly.
❑ The larger the population gets, the faster it grows.
 Population Growth
❑ When exponential
growth is viewed on a
graph, the pattern of
growth is a J-shaped
curve.

❑ A J-shaped curve
indicates the
population is growing
exponentially.
 Population Growth
❑ In real life, populations cannot continue to
grow exponentially for very long.

❑ Resources will become scarce, and waste

will accumulate, limiting growth.

❑ In addition, competition for the limited

resources will intensify as the population
grows.
Limiting Factor: any factor that restrains the growth of a
population
(ex. space to grow, food, water, predation, competition,
human disturbances, etc.)
Population Growth
❑ How will resources be limited during the growth of
the population?
• Food will become more and more scarce.
• There may be water shortages.
• A disease might be introduced into the population.
• The population will run out of space.
• Additional predators may be attracted to the rising
population.
• There will be increased competition between the
members of the group.
• The accumulation of wastes could lead to an
increase in diseases and poor health.
Carrying Capacity
What do think this word means?
Population Growth
❑ Eventually, a growing
population will reach
the carrying capacity
of the environment.

❑ Carrying capacity is
the number of
individuals the
environment can
support over a long
period of time.
Population Growth
❑ The size of the population will fluctuate above and
below the carrying capacity of the environment.
❑ Limiting factors
determine carrying
capacity. The
availability of abiotic
factors (such as water,
oxygen, and space) and
biotic factors (such as
food) dictates how
many organisms can
live in an ecosystem.
Population Growth
❑ A model of population growth in
which growth slows or stops
following a period of exponential
growth is called logistic growth.
Population Growth
Starting in the mid 1800s, the human population began to
grow exponentially. Why did this happen?
1. The beginning of agriculture
and industry made life much
easier and much safer.
2. Food is available on a regular
basis.
3. Goods can be shipped around
the world.
4. Improved sanitation and living
conditions eliminated the
high levels of diseases.
5. Death rate dropped while
birth rate increased.
World Population Clock
Check out this world population clock:
Link: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
Exit Ticket

What do you notice?

What do you wonder?