Each population is a separate entity showing several characteristics such as spacing, size, density, natality, mortality, age structure, growth, fluctuations and cycle. 1. Spacing: The pattern of spacing of organisms is an important feature of every population. Spacing may be uniform, random or clumped. Uniform spacing is shown by invertebrate populations; random pacing occurs among plants; clumped spacing may be [...]
One of the central questions in population ecology is - what determines the size of a natural population? The answer is - different factors or mechanisms under different circumstances. In a synthesis on population regulation, Krebs (1994) emphasizes the role of the following factors: (a) Limiting factors: A factor is defined to be a limiting factor if a change in [...]
Inter-specific relationships between two (or more) species can be discovered in any community and belong to two main categories —symbiosis and antagonism. Symbiotic Relationships: Symbiosis means 'living together'. It is a beneficial relationship between two different species in which one or both the species are benefited and neither species is harmed. Symbiotic relationships include commensalism (one species benefited, another called [...]