Population Growth Models Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Population Growth Models flashcards as text
A predator-prey system modeled by Lotka-Volterra equations typically produces:
Answer: Continuous, neutrally stable oscillations
The basic Lotka-Volterra model produces closed-cycle, neutrally stable oscillations where prey and predator populations cycle perpetually around an equilibrium.
Which graph shape would you expect if you plot per capita population growth rate (dN/Ndt) against population size N under logistic growth?
Answer: A straight line with negative slope
Under logistic growth, per capita growth rate declines linearly from r (at N=0) to 0 (at N=K), producing a straight line with negative slope.
What is the biological significance of the parameter 'b' in the Beverton-Holt stock-recruitment model used in fisheries ecology?
Answer: The density-dependence parameter that limits recruitment
In the Beverton-Holt model, 'b' is the density-dependence parameter that determines how quickly recruitment saturates as spawning stock increases.
An island biogeography model predicts species richness at equilibrium based on:
Answer: The balance between immigration and extinction rates
The MacArthur-Wilson equilibrium theory predicts species richness where the rate of new species immigration equals the rate of local species extinction.
Which term describes the phenomenon where a population temporarily overshoots carrying capacity before crashing back down?
Answer: Overshoot and collapse
Overshoot and collapse occurs when a rapidly growing population exceeds K before density-dependent feedback can halt growth, causing resource depletion and a subsequent crash.
In age-structured population models, the stable age distribution refers to:
Answer: The proportional representation of age classes that remains constant over time
Stable age distribution is the fixed proportion of individuals in each age class that a population maintains once it has grown at a constant rate for a sufficient time.
The theta-logistic model modifies standard logistic growth by adding which feature?
Answer: A parameter that changes the shape of density dependence
The theta (θ) parameter in the theta-logistic model allows density dependence to be concave (θ1), making it more flexible than standard logistic.