Introduction to Population BiologyHow do plant and animal populations change genetically to evolve and adapt to their local environments? How do populations grow and interact with one another through competition and predation? How does behaviour influence ecology and evolution? Introduction to Population Biology covers all these areas and more. Taking a quantitative and Darwinian perspective, the basic theory of population processes is developed using mathematical models. To allow students of biology, ecology and evolution to gain a real understanding of the subject, key features include: • step-by-step instructions for spreadsheet simulations of many basic equations to explore the outcomes or predictions of models • worked examples showing how the equations are applied to biological questions • problem sets together with detailed solutions to help the reader test their understanding • real-life examples to help the reader relate the theory to the natural world. |
Contents
Darwins theories of evolution | 19 |
Understanding natural selection | 33 |
Simple population growth models | 51 |
Densitydependent growth and the logistic | 68 |
Population genetics and evolution 85 | 85 |
Mutation and the genetic variation | 100 |
Small populations genetic drift | 116 |
Migration gene flow and the differentiation | 135 |
Demography | 215 |
Agespecific reproduction and population | 231 |
Evolution of life histories | 245 |
Interactions between species and | 263 |
Predation | 292 |
Animal behaviour natural selection | 318 |
Sexual selection and mating systems | 336 |
Epilogue | 354 |
haploid | 146 |
Applying zygotic selection models | 166 |
Polygenic inheritance quantitative | 186 |
summary | 206 |
Solutions to problems | 367 |
378 | |
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Common terms and phrases
age class age-specific allelic frequencies animals approximately areas average behaviour birds birth breeding calculate carbonaria carrying capacity cells change in allelic Chapter colour column consider curve Darwin death rates dominance effects environment equation equilibrium estimate evolution example exponential favoured females gametes gene loci genetic drift genetic variation genotypic frequencies graph growth rate Hardy-Weinberg Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium Hardy-Weinberg principle Hawk heritability heterozygotes heterozygous homozygous inbreeding increase insects interspecific competition isocline K-selected K₁ logistic growth Lotka-Volterra model males mating matrix mortality rate mutation rate N₁ natural selection number of prey observed occurs offspring organisms Paramecium parents pay-off phenotypic plants polygyny population density population growth predator predicted prey density produce Quattro Pro random relative fitness reproductive value result selection coefficient sexual simulation species spreadsheet survival survivorship survivorship curve Table tion traits typica variance zero isocline