What is meant by the phrase ‘density of a population’ with respect to species in an ecosystem.

Answer 1

In simple terms, population density in an ecosystem refers to how many individual members of a certain species are living in a given area.

So, for example, if we were to say there are 14 squirrels that live in my 2 square kilometer backyard and there are 3 squirrels that live in my best friend's 1 square kilometer backyard, then we can use the equation below to find the population density:

Population density = number of organisms / land area

Using this we get:

Population density of squirrels in my yard = 14 / 2 square kilometers = 7 / kilometer²

Population density of squirrels in my friend's yard = 3 / kilometer²

This equation allows us to understand how many of the target organism there are per unit area, which makes it easier to compare densities in this situation. So we see that I have a higher population density of squirrels in my yard as compared to my friend's yard.

You can use the same equation to compare different species in the same area too, so maybe my friend has 5 rabbits in their yard, we then know that there is a higher density of rabbits than there is squirrels in their backyard.

Answer 2

Hi Rochelle T.,

What does the term "density" suggest to you? # individuals divided by total area, I would hope ....

-- Cheers, -- Mr. d.