Biology 3446B Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Epizootic, Carrying Capacity, Protozoa
22 Feb 2014
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Document Summary
Caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites. Wildlife have evolved with and are adapted to most potential pathogens in their. All vertebrates carry numerous potential pathogens, usually without disease symptoms. Yet, these organisms can become pathogenic when an animal"s resistance is lower by severe weather/poor nutrition/crowding. We have seen how reproductive rates and mortality rates can vary with population. Populations don"t grow as fast as biotic potential would allow, and they don"t grow indefinitely. They tend to reach some sort of level of size which tends to be stable for a particular population = carrying capacity for the population. So density dependent decrease in reproduction and/or density dependent. Increase in mortality could act as the brake on population growth. Bottom line: mortality rate = reproductive rate population change = 0, population is at carrying capacity max number of animals that the environment will effectively support may be in poorer condition.
