Population Density & Distribution

Population Density Population density is the number of individuals that live in a defined area!! Cities have more dense populations of people Rural areas have more widely spread out, or dispersed, populations Different populations have different population densities.

Population Density Different populations have different population densities Population density is a measurement of number of individuals living in a defined area.

Why do we study populations? To learn about the lifestyle of different species and about environmental changes that are affecting the health of different populations.

Geographic dispersion Shows how individuals in a population are spaced out Population dispersion is the way in which individuals of a population are distributed, or spread out, in an area. Dispersion patterns help us understand species interactions.

Population Dispersion Clumped dispersion Uniform dispersion Random dispersion

Population Dispersion Clumped dispersion Individuals live close together in groups This might help with: Mating Protection Sharing of resources

Population Dispersion Uniform dispersion Individuals live at specific distances from another This might help with: competition

Population Dispersion Random dispersion Individuals are spread out randomly in an area. This might help with: Competition Resource availability