POPULATION ECOLOGY

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INTRODUCTION
The global population overgrew. Many factors show how
quickly a population grows. Once the population size increases,
the growth rate also increases. Additionally, having so many
people certainly means having more resources to deal with.
However, resources are limited. Over time, a change in
population growth rates is evident due to this scenario. The size
of the human population also aggravates many environmental
problems.

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Population refers to the
group of individuals of the
same species inhabiting
the same area. It is
characterized by the total
number of individuals and
the space they occupy per
unit area.

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Properties of Populations
1. Population Size is the precise number of individuals in an
area. It may have a large or small number of individuals
that are distributed densely or sparingly in a local area. A
sampling method is used to make inferences about the
population as a whole. Two methods are used: (1) using a
quadrat for immobile or slow-moving organisms like
plants; and (2) the mark and recapture for smaller mobile
organisms such as mammals.

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 A quadrat is a square
structure that must be
placed at random locations
within the habitat enough
times and count the number
of individuals within its
boundaries.

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Mark and recapture is a method in which animals are captured, marked,
and released back into the environment to mix with the rest of the
population. Later, a new sample is captured and counts how many of
these marked animals are in the new sample.

For example, if 50 frogs are captured, marked, and released in a lagoon,

then in a second trapping, 70 frogs are captured with 10 of them as
marked. The population size (N) can be determined using the equation:

N = (number marked first catch × total number of second catch)

number of marked second catch
= 50 frogs x 70 frogs
10 frogs
= 350 frogs in the lagoon (estimated)

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Image Source: Slide Player 7
 Properties of Populations

2. Population Density indicates how crowded

a population is. It is a measurement of
population per unit area or unit volume.
Mathematically,

Dp = N (number of individuals)
S ( space/area/volume)

For example, 10,400 mice are living in a 1000m

x 1000m field. What is the density of this
population?
Dp = N = 10,400 mice = 0.0104 / m2
S 1,000,000 m2
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Properties of Populations

3. Dispersion is the distribution of the individuals

throughout their range in an area. Individuals within a
population can be distributed into different patterns.
Three types of Distribution:
❑ Clumped Distribution
❑ Uniform Distribution
❑ Random Distribution

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Properties of Populations

Types of Distribution

a. Clumped Distribution
occurs when individuals
aggregate in patches
like wolf pack attack
prey, mushroom on a
rotting log, and so on.

Image Source: Quora 10

Properties of Populations
Types of Distribution b. Uniform Distribution occurs
when individuals are evenly
distributed and usually seen
in territorial animal species
like penguins that maintain
a defined territory for
nesting. Common when
there is scarcity of
resources.
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Properties of Populations
Types of Distribution

c. Random Distribution is a
unique pattern where each
individual's position is
independent of other
individuals—for example,
plants established by
windblown seeds in the forest.
Image from Slide player

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Image from Slideplayer
Populations are affected by many factors that affect the level of
(increase or decrease) within the population.
The four fundamental factors affecting population are :
Birth rate = births of new individuals (natality rate).
Immigration = permanent arrival of new individuals into the population
Death rate = deaths of individuals (mortality rate)
Emigration = movement of individuals out of a population

Population growth rate formula:

(birth rate + immigration) - (death rate + emigration)

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There are various methods to model population
dynamics. The two simplest models of population
growth are exponential Growth and logistic Growth.

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Population Growth
1. Exponential Growth
describes populations that
increase in numbers without any
limits to their resources or
encounter some other limitation.
The important concept of this
growth rate model is that the
population size is increasing at a
greater rate. When the
population size, N, is plotted
over time, it forms a J-shaped
growth curve. (Photo Credit: proprofs.com)
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 Population Growth
2. Logistic Growth is a more realistic model of population growth in which it
introduces limits to reproductive Growth. As the population size increases, resources
will be depleted, and the growth rate will slow down due to limited resources.
Populations do not exist in isolation and share the environment with other species,
competing with them for the same resources.

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(Photo Credit: bogleheads.org)
 The maximum population size that a particular environment can
sustain is called the carrying capacity (K). Most populations usually
fluctuate around the carrying capacity, where the death rate increases
beyond the birth rate. An S-shaped curve was produced when plotted.
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 Limiting factors in regulating the population
Density-independent factors
o This Growth is not dependent on
the density of the population. The
population increases at a rate
determined by its biotic potential.
Many factors influence the death
rate regardless of its density and
may only be slowed down by
severe environmental
catastrophes such as drought,
storm, earthquakes, and the like.
As a result, it reduces the
Image from Slide to Doc.com
population regardless of
population size. 19
Limiting factors in regulating the population
Density-dependent factors
This is a growth influenced by the density of the population. As the density
of the population increases, the resources become limited. Thus, it affects
the availability of specific resources to other species and can influence
population size further. Examples of this are food supply, nesting sites,
mating partners, and so on.

Image from Slideplayer

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You may watch the video entitled Populations
Distribution at the link below for further
information

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMsmDy-2jbA

Watch the video entitled Population Ecology at the

link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Ty2Oo7MnI

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Human Population

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What is Demography?

Demography is the statistical analysis of the

human population, which encompasses the size,
distribution, structure, and changes in the
population that occur over time. Population
structure is the proportion of people by age, sex,
ethnicity, education, and other parameters.
Demographic processes that affect the increase
or decrease in population growth are
fertility/natality, mortality, and migration

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 Fertility refers to the actual production of offspring. It
depends on various factors like physical health and
nutrition, sexual behavior, culture, emotions,
economics, way of life, etc. Thus, fertility rates vary
among countries and cultures. The birth rate is an issue
of concern for many governments and policymakers.
Some seek to increase the national birth rate while
other countries have policies to reduce the birth rate.

The current birth rate for Philippines in 2021 is 19.978 births per 1000 people, a
0.99% decline from 2020. The birth rate for Philippines in 2020 was 20.177 births per
1000 people, a 0.98% decline from 2019. The birth rate for Philippines in 2019 was
20.377 births per 1000 people, a 0.97% decline from 2018.

Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/net-migration
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 The mortality rate is a measure of the
number of deaths in a particular
population depending on various factors
like age and gender distribution. A life
table is a statistical tool that summarizes
the number of deaths of a population. It
yields information about longevity and
gives a reasonable estimate of life
expectancy. Life expectancy refers to the
average survival time for an individual.

In 2020, adult mortality rate for Philippines was 37.17 deaths per
100 population.

Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/net-migration
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 Migration/Immigration is the physical
movement of people from one place to
another. It is divided into two groups of
factors: push and pull. The push factors
are things that an immigrant is
unfavorable about the area he is coming
from, while pull factors interest the
immigrant in the new place

● The current net migration rate for Philippines in 2021 is -0.609 per 1000
population, a 1.46% decline from 2020. The net migration rate for Philippines in
2020 was -0.618 per 1000 population, a 1.28% decline from 2019.

Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/net-migration
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Demographic Data
These are important data from sources like
statistics registries (Philippine Statistics
Office/PSA) and censuses. Statistics registries
track all status on births, deaths, marriages,
migrations, and the like. The national government
usually conducts censuses. Its main goal is to
count every person in the country and collect
information on such variables as age, sex, marital
status, education, employment status, and
occupation.

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 Philippine Population Data 2021 Forecast

The current population of the Philippines is 111,460,341 as of Sunday, October 17,

2021, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data
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 Some factors influence population growth. One
of which is the Age-Sex Structure. It is a
population parameter that refers to the number of
individuals of each sex and age group and is
often represented by a bar graph called a
population pyramid.

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 (Image credit: Philippine Statistics Authority)

For example, the facts from the PSA Census 2015 of Central Luzon showed that children aged 5
to 9 years have the largest age group, with 10.12 percent of the household population. This was
followed by those in the age groups 0 to 4 years and 10 to 14 years, which contributed 9.93
percent share. Moreover, males outnumbered females in the age group 0 to 54 years, while
females outnumbered their male counterparts in the older age group (55 years old and over). 31
Source: Euromonitor International 32
 The sex ratio refers to the rate of males to
females in a population. Based on the 2015
Census of Population, Central Luzon had a total
population of 11,218,177 persons, and Bulacan
had an immense population size. Of the total
population, 50.5 percent was male, while 49.5
percent was female that yields in a sex ratio of
102 males for every 100 females.

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