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

Vascular tissues, VASCULA R TISSUES (= FLUID TISSUES) - The vascula...

VASCULA R TISSUES (= FLUID TISSUES) - The vascular tissues are of two types: blood and lymph.

Explain covalent structure of rna, Like  DNA RNA  is  a  long  polymer  hav...

Like  DNA RNA  is  a  long  polymer  having  of  nucleotides joined by 3'5' phosphodiester  bonds. Furthermore, there are some differences: ?   The bases in RNA are adenine abbr

Classification of chromatography -basic separation technique, Define Classi...

Define Classification of Chromatography - Basic Separation Technique Chromatography can be classified depending upon: Physiochemical principles/factors, The techniqu

Explain the classification of enzymes, Classification of Enzymes It has...

Classification of Enzymes It has been a long tradition  of giving enzymes names ending in 'ase'. The only major exception to this 'ase' is the proteolytic enzymes, whose names

Regents for estimation of reducing sugar by fehling soxhlet, Define Regents...

Define Regents for Estimation of Reducing Sugar by Fehling Soxhlet Method? Fehling A solution - copper sulphate solution Fehling B solution - alkaline tartarate so

What are cells responsible for the production of antibodies, What are the c...

What are the cells responsible for the production of antibodies? The cells that make antibodies, i.e., the cells of the humoral immune system, are the B lymphocytes (B cells).

Hypothermia-open heart surgery, Hypothermia :  Hypothermia reduces the met...

Hypothermia :  Hypothermia reduces the metabolic requirements of the body thereby reducing oxygen consumption. It also preserves high-energy phosphate stores of the body. At norma

What would be the probability the result, A plant grown from one of Mendel'...

A plant grown from one of Mendel's yellow pea is selfed. Three progeny peas from this are obtained and they are all green. Is the original plant homozygous or heterozygous, and wha

Define food availability and food access, Define Food availability and Food...

Define Food availability and Food Access? Food availability: This refers to availability of necessary types of food in sufficient quantity, to the individual. The sources may b

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