Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can define population density and carrying capacity, and explain why K depends on the environment’s total resources and can change. (Guide: “Carrying capacity”; Practice Q6)
- I can explain how a rising density reduces each individual’s share of resources, lowering births and raising deaths. (Guide: “Density and resources work in both directions”; Practice Q4)
- I can distinguish density-dependent from density-independent factors and give two examples of each. (Guide: “What limits growth”; Practice Q1)
- I can describe the S-shaped logistic curve and say where growth is fastest and where it stops. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q3)
Calculation and skills
- I can use dN/dt = rₘₐₓN(K − N)/K for populations below, at and above K. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q2, Q6)
- I can calculate means from replicate data and percentage survival at different densities. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q5)
- I can calculate rates, ratios, percentages and percentage changes, using the original value as the denominator. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q4, Q5)
- I can estimate K and per capita growth rates from a table of population counts. (Practice Q4)
- I can read a graph of dN/dt against N and identify K/2 and K on it. (Guide: Figure 2)
Reasoning
- I can classify a factor using the fraction of the population affected, not the number. (Guide: “What limits growth”; Practice Q7)
- I can explain why only density-dependent factors can hold a population near K. (Practice Q7)
- I can predict how a change in resources changes K and the population’s growth. (Guide: “Carrying capacity”; Practice Q6)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 8.5, Community Ecology, or return to the course roadmap.