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Population Demography exam Flashcards

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Population Demography exam
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  • Demography
    The statistical study of population characteristics, including size, structure, and distribution.
  • What factors influence population characteristics in demography?
    Birth rates, death rates, and migration.
  • Life Table
    A comprehensive statistical table that shows a population's survivorship, mortality, and reproductive rates of a cohort.
  • Cohort
    A group of same species individuals born into a population around the same time.
  • Why do life tables often only include data on females?
    Because only females produce offspring, having a greater impact on population dynamics.
  • Survivorship Curve
    A graphical representation of a life table, showing the number of living individuals in a cohort surviving to each age group.
  • Type 1 Survivorship Curve
    Characterized by low early mortality and high mortality later in life; example: humans.
  • Type 2 Survivorship Curve
    Characterized by a constant mortality rate throughout the species' lifetime; example: northern cardinal.
  • Type 3 Survivorship Curve
    Characterized by high early mortality and low mortality later in life; example: American bullfrog.
  • What is the significance of a logarithmic scale in survivorship curves?
    It allows for a wide range of values to be plotted on the same graph.
  • What does a life table's age interval represent?
    The specific age range being analyzed for survivorship and mortality rates.
  • Fecundity
    The capacity for an organism to reproduce, often measured as the average number of female offspring per female.
  • What does a survivorship curve's y-axis represent?
    The number of living individuals in a cohort.
  • What does a survivorship curve's x-axis represent?
    The age groups of the cohort.
  • Mortality Rate
    The overall death rate between age intervals in a life table.
  • Survivorship
    The proportion of organisms still alive at the start of an age interval.
  • What is the purpose of a life table?
    To summarize demographic data for cohorts, focusing on survivorship, mortality, and reproductive rates.
  • How is the mortality rate calculated in a life table?
    By dividing the number of deaths by the initial number of organisms in the age interval.
  • What is the main focus of demography?
    Analyzing population dynamics and ecological interactions.
  • What does a type 1 survivorship curve indicate about a species?
    Most individuals survive to adulthood, with high mortality rates later in life.
  • What does a type 2 survivorship curve indicate about a species?
    Mortality rates are constant throughout the species' lifetime.
  • What does a type 3 survivorship curve indicate about a species?
    High mortality rates early in life, with few individuals reaching adulthood.
  • Why is understanding survivorship curves important?
    They help in analyzing population dynamics and predicting future population trends.
  • What is the relationship between life tables and survivorship curves?
    Survivorship curves are graphical representations of the data in life tables.
  • What is the significance of the age interval in a life table?
    It helps in analyzing the survivorship and mortality rates at different stages of life.
  • How is survivorship calculated in a life table?
    By dividing the number of organisms alive at the start of an age interval by the initial number of organisms.
  • What is the importance of studying demography?
    It provides insights into population trends and helps in making informed decisions for conservation and management.
  • What does the term 'population dynamics' refer to?
    The changes in population size, structure, and distribution over time.