Dear Students -
Great responses to last week's video and questions! This week we will continue exploring some of the basics of ecology, starting with the first level of complexity - the population. What regulates population size? In other words, what determines whether a population will increase or decrease over time? Please watch this Introduction to Population Regulation and respond to the following discussion topics. For this discussion, I also ask you to explore the topic a little more deeply, for example by reading up about population regulation here and doing some internet research on your own. What are the two types of population regulation and what makes them different? What is meant by logistic growth? What makes logistic growth different from exponential growth? What is the term for the 'cap' on population size or the maximum population size? What biological factors limit population growth rates? What are some examples of factors that regulate populations that are not related to population size itself? What did Thomas Malthus say about people? How might these concepts be related to the research we're doing on small mammals of Madagascar and bats of Belize?
2 Comments
Ayesha Wijesekera
10/16/2016 03:33:06 pm
What are the two types of population regulation and what makes them different?
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Olivia Kupiec
10/16/2016 08:38:01 pm
1) The two different types of population regulation are density dependent regulation and density independent regulation. Density dependent regulation is when the size of a population is controlled by factors such as competition, specifically for food, water, shelter, etc., and predation, both which occur once a population gets close to its carrying capacity. Density independent regulations is when population size is affected by factors like natural disasters like floods, forest fires, etc.
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AuthorThis is a page for my students participating in the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program. I will post activities for my students to do and ask them to respond to some questions. Follow along if you're interested! Archives
December 2016
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