Search results
Oct 31, 2023 · Figure 45.1B. 1 45.1 B. 1: Scientist uses a quadrat to measure plant population size and density: A quadrat is a square frame of known area in which species of interest can be easily counted and measured. A field study usually includes several quadrat samples at random locations or along a transect in representative habitat.
- 5.1.1: Population Size and Density - Biology LibreTexts
Figure 5.1.1.1 5.1.1. 1: A scientist uses a quadrat to...
- 6.17: Population Size, Density, and Distribution - Biology ...
Population Density. Population density is the average number...
- 5.1.1: Population Size and Density - Biology LibreTexts
Figure 5.1.1.1 5.1.1. 1: A scientist uses a quadrat to measure plant population size and density. A quadrat is a square frame of known area in which species of interest can be easily counted and measured. A field study usually includes several quadrat samples at random locations or along a transect in representative habitat.
- Overview
- Key points
- What is a population?
- Demography: describing populations and how they change
- Population size and density
- Measuring population size
- Quadrat method
- Mark-recapture method
- Example: using the mark-recapture method
- Species distribution
What an ecological population is. How scientists define and measure population size, density, and distribution in space.
•A population consists of all the organisms of a given species that live in a particular area.
•The statistical study of populations and how they change over time is called demography.
•Two important measures of a population are population size, the number of individuals, and population density, the number of individuals per unit area or volume.
•Ecologists estimate the size and density of populations using quadrats and the mark-recapture method.
•The organisms in a population may be distributed in a uniform, random, or clumped pattern. Uniform means that the population is evenly spaced, random indicates random spacing, and clumped means that the population is distributed in clusters.
•A population consists of all the organisms of a given species that live in a particular area.
•The statistical study of populations and how they change over time is called demography.
•Two important measures of a population are population size, the number of individuals, and population density, the number of individuals per unit area or volume.
•Ecologists estimate the size and density of populations using quadrats and the mark-recapture method.
In everyday life, we often think about population as the number of people who live in a particular place—New York City has a population of 8.6 million.1 Or Monowi, Nebraska has a population of one. Just think—you could double the population of Monowi if you felt like moving there!
In ecology, a population consists of all the organisms of a particular species living in a given area. For instance, we could say that a population of humans lives in New York City, and that another population of humans lives in Gross. We can describe these populations by their size—what we often mean by population when we're talking about towns and cities—as well as by their density—how many people per unit area—and distribution—how clumped or spread out the people are.
In many cases, ecologists aren't studying people in towns and cities. Instead, they're studying various kinds of plant, animal, fungal, and even bacterial populations. The statistical study of any population, human or otherwise, is known as demography.
Why is demography important? Populations can change in their numbers and structure—for example age and sex distribution—for various reasons. These changes can affect how the population interacts with its physical environment and with other 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. Monitoring the size and structure of populations can also help ecologists manage populations—for example, by showing whether conservation efforts are helping an endangered species increase in numbers.
In this article, we'll begin our journey through demographics by looking at the concepts of population size, density, and distribution. We'll also explore some methods ecologists use to determine these values for populations in nature.
To study the demographics of a population, we'll want to start off with a few baseline measures. One is simply the number of individuals in the population, or population size—N . Another is the population density, the number of individuals per area or volume of habitat.
Size and density are both important in describing the current status of the population and, potentially, for making predictions about how it could change in the future:
•Larger populations may be more stable than smaller populations because they’re likely to have greater genetic variability and thus more potential to adapt to changes in the environment through natural selection.
•A member of a low-density population—where organisms are sparsely spread out—might have more trouble finding a mate to reproduce with than an individual in a high-density population.
To find the size of a population, can’t we just count all the organisms in it? Ideally, yes! But in many real-life cases, this isn’t possible. For instance, would you want to try and count every single grass plant in your lawn? Or every salmon in, say, Lake Ontario, which is 393 cubic miles in volume?1 Counting all the organisms in a population may be too expensive in terms of time and money, or it may simply not be possible.
For these reasons, scientists often estimate a population's size by taking one or more samples from the population and using these samples to make inferences about the population as a whole. A variety of methods can be used to sample populations to determine their size and density. Here, we’ll look at two of the most important: the quadrat and mark-recapture methods.
For immobile organisms such as plants—or for very small and slow-moving organisms—plots called quadrats may be used to determine population size and density. Each quadrat marks off an area of the same size—typically, a square area—within the habitat. A quadrat can be made by staking out an area with sticks and string or by using a wood, plastic, or metal square placed on the ground, as shown in the picture below.
After setting up quadrats, researchers count the number of individuals within the boundaries of each one. Multiple quadrat samples are performed throughout the habitat at several random locations, which ensures that the numbers recorded are representative for the habitat overall. In the end, the data can be used to estimate the population size and population density within the entire habitat.
For organisms that move around, such as mammals, birds, or fish, a technique called the mark-recapture method is often used to determine population size. This method involves capturing a sample of animals and marking them in some way—for instance, using tags, bands, paint, or other body markings, as shown below. Then, the marked animals are released back into the environment and allowed to mix with the rest of the population.
Later, a new sample is collected. This new sample will include some individuals that are marked—recaptures—and some individuals that are unmarked. Using the ratio of marked to unmarked individuals, scientists can estimate how many individuals are in the total population.
Let’s say we want to find the size of a deer population. Suppose that we capture 80 deer, tag them, and release them back into the forest. After some time has passed—allowing the marked deer to thoroughly mix with the rest of the population—we come back and capture another 100 deer. Out of these deer, we find that 20 are already marked.
If 20 out of 100 deer are marked, this would suggest that marked deer—which we know are 80 in number—make up 20% of the population. Using this information, we can formulate the following relationship:
number marked first catch (M)total population (N) = number marked second catch (x)total number of second catch (n)
MN = xn
Next, we rearrange the equation:
N = nMx
Often, in addition to knowing the number and density of individuals in an area, ecologists will also want to know their distribution. Species dispersion patterns—or distribution patterns—refer to how the individuals in a population are distributed in space at a given time.
The individual organisms that make up a population can be more or less equally spaced, dispersed randomly with no predictable pattern, or clustered in groups. These are known as uniform, random, and clumped dispersion patterns, respectively.
•Uniform dispersion. In uniform dispersion, individuals of a population are spaced more or less evenly. One example of uniform dispersion comes from plants that secrete toxins to inhibit growth of nearby individuals—a phenomenon called allelopathy. We can also find uniform dispersion in animal species where individuals stake out and defend territories.
•Random dispersion. In random dispersion, individuals are distributed randomly, without a predictable pattern. An example of random dispersion comes from dandelions and other plants that have wind-dispersed seeds. The seeds spread widely and sprout where they happen to fall, as long as the environment is favorable—has enough soil, water, nutrients, and light.
•Clumped dispersion. In a clumped dispersion, individuals are clustered in groups. A clumped dispersion may be seen in plants that drop their seeds straight to the ground—such as oak trees—or animals that live in groups—schools of fish or herds of elephants. Clumped dispersions also happen in habitats that are patchy, with only some patches suitable to live in.
As you can see from these examples, dispersion of individuals in a population provides more information about how they interact with each other—and with their environment—than a simple density measurement.
Typically however, population size and density parameters are estimated using statistical analyses based on only a sample of population members. Population densities of plants and sessile animals can be estimated from counts taken on plots or data describing the spacing between individuals (i.e. distance methods) and are relatively straightforward.
- Brenda McComb, Benjamin Zuckerberg, David Vesely, Christopher Jordan
- 2018
Population Density. Population density is the average number of individuals in a population per unit of area or volume. For example, a population of 100 insects that live in an area of 100 square meters has a density of 1 insect per square meter. If the same population lives in an area of only 1 square meter, what is its density?
Rule 1: Evaluate your objectives before starting, and do not assume that mark-recapture methods are the easiest path to valid population estimates. Rule 2: Pick your mark-recapture method your sampling program a test of the model's assumptions. before starting field work, and build into.
People also ask
How do scientists estimate population size and density?
How are population size and density parameters estimated?
Is population size more important than density?
How do scientists use a quadrat to measure plant population size?
How do scientists study populations?
What is the difference between population size and population density?
The proportion of marked individuals can then be used to estimate the total population size. This is called the Peterson method and is the simplest of the many mark-recapture methods available to ...
