Factors affecting biotic potential - population growth, Biology

Assignment Help:

Factors Affecting Biotic Potential - Population Growth

Biotic potential differs from one species to another e.g., bacterial populations can grow faster than population of oak trees. The rate of reproduction of any individual can be increased in any or all of three following ways:

  1. By producing a large number of offsprings each time it reproduces,
  2. By having a long reproductive life, and
  3. By reproducing as early in life as possible.

Of these three factors, the last one is most important. Let us take an example to understand this. A bacterium neither lives for a long time nor produces many offsprings each time it reproduces. Its reproductive potential is higher than that of a dog because most bacteria can reproduce within an hour after being formed by cell division, whereas a dog is not able to reproduce until it is at least 6 months old. So we can say that shorter the generation time of a species, the higher its reproductive potential. In case of organisms with equal generation time, the number of offsprings produced determines which has higher potential for population growth. Thus the population of a plant that produces 100 seeds a year can potentially grow faster than the population of a plant that produces 10 seeds a year. However, with longer pre-reproductive period, number of offsprings produced does not affect much the biotic potential of a population.


Related Discussions:- Factors affecting biotic potential - population growth

Explain membrane-bound organelles, Membrane-bound organelles are absent in ...

Membrane-bound organelles are absent in : 1. Saccharomyces 2. Streptococcus 3. Chlamydomonas 4. Plasmodium Streptococcus

Caracterized by progressive loss of the axonal myelin sheath, Q. What are a...

Q. What are a few diseases characterized by progressive loss of the axonal myelin sheath? Multiple sclerosis is a severe disease caused by progressive destruction of the myelin

What are the digestive functions of the liver, What are the digestive funct...

What are the digestive functions of the liver? Besides making bile for release in the duodenum, the liver has other digestive functions. The venous network that absorbs nutr

Ecology.., write the charecteristics of lake ecosystem

write the charecteristics of lake ecosystem

What are examples of the ecological and economic, What are examples of the ...

What are examples of the ecological and economic importance of molluscs? Molluscs are significant players in several food chains in ecosystems. Many marine molluscs are part of

Some common air pollutants: hydrocarbon, Hydrocarbon (HC): Hydrocarbons ...

Hydrocarbon (HC): Hydrocarbons such as methane, ethylene, acetylene is present in air. Most of these are low molecular weight gases and liquids at ordinary temperature. Sour

Menstrual cycle in human beings, Menstrual cycle in human beings: 1) Th...

Menstrual cycle in human beings: 1) The cycle of changes in the female reproductive system that leads to formation of Ovum is called 'menstrual cycle'. It occurs once in 28 to

Malpighian tubules, Malpighian Tubules Other arthropods like insects ...

Malpighian Tubules Other arthropods like insects and myriapods and arachnids have Malpighian tubules, the outgrowths of alimentary canal like excretory organs. Malpighian tub

What is septa, What is Septa Septa are thin bony plates, which divide t...

What is Septa Septa are thin bony plates, which divide the inferior portion of the antrum into sections and may even create separate compartments. A buttress or web formation m

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd