Population Modeling

Question of the Day

Question: What are some limiting factors that can affect a population’s carrying capacity?

Answer:

2’s Turn In:• P. 141 A.Q. 1ab, 2b• P. 148 9, 10, 13, 15• Estimating Population Size

Reindeer of St. Paul Island

• What happened to the reindeer population over time?

The link is on Ms.

Minson’s website!

Use Safari, Not Chrome!

• The simulation won’t have the correct plug-in on Chrome

✔ ✗

Running Plug-In

• Click “Inactive Plug-In,” “Allow,” “I Accept,” “Run”

p. 141 A.Q. 1ab, 2b, 41a. What is a limiting factor?1a. A limiting factor is a factor that controls the growth of a population.

1b. How do limiting factors affect the growth of populations?1b. Limiting factors affect the growth of populations by determining the carrying capacity of environments for populations.

2b. What is the relationship between competition and population size?2b. The relationship between competition and population size is that competition between individuals increases as population size increases.

4. Study the factors that limit population growth in figure 5-6. Classify each factor as biotic or abiotic.

4. Biotic factors in the figure include competition, predation, parasitism, and disease. Unusual weather and natural disasters are abiotic factors.

p. 148 #9, 10, 13, 15

9. What is carrying capacity? Give an example.9. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species a particular environment can support. One is example is how many reindeer can live on St. Paul Island continuously.

10. How is the carrying capacity of a city’s roads similar to the carrying capacity of an ecosystem?10. The carrying capacity of a city’s roads and the carrying capacity of

an ecosystem are similar because they are both limited by the resources available. In the case of a city’s roads, the carrying capacity depends on factors such as the number and width of roads and the number of intersections. In an ecosystem, the carrying capacity depends on factors such as the amount of space and food.

p. 148 #9, 10, 13, 1513. How might increasing the amount of a limiting nutrient in a pond affect the carrying capacity of the pond?13. Increasing the availability of a limiting nutrient would increase the carrying capacity of the pond.

15. Describe how a predator-prey relationship can control both the predator population and the prey population.15. A predator-prey relationship can be a mechanism of population control for both species. The population size of predators is limited by the number of prey available to eat. In turn, the number of prey is limited by the predation.