Interactions Between Population & Environment (WJEC GCSE Biology)

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Naomi H

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Naomi H

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Interactions Between Population & Environment

  • Organisms rely on resources from their environment for survival, e.g.
    • Animals require:
      • Food
      • Water
      • Mates
      • Territory (that contains food, water and mates)
    • Plants require:
      • Water
      • Light
      • Minerals
      • Space to grow (that provides access to water, light and minerals)
  • Organisms that require the same resources as each other will compete for survival
    • Intraspecific competition occurs between individuals of the same species
    • Interspecific competition occurs between individuals of different species

Intraspecific and interspecific competition diagram

Intraspecific competition (grey squirrels)

Interspecific competition (grey and red squirrels)

Individuals compete for resources in order to survive; competition can be intraspecific (top) or interspecific (bottom)

Factors affecting population size

  • The size of a population can be affected by factors in the environment, e.g.
    • Competition
      • Competition for resources, either within a species or with another species, limits the maximum size of a population
    • Predation
      • Predators will increase the death rate in a population, slowing population growth
      • A lack of predators may result in the rapid growth of a population
        • In a situation like this, the resulting large population will compete more for resources, and may be more susceptible to disease
    • Disease
      • Disease may kill some individuals, slowing population growth
      • The effect of disease is likely to be greater in a large population as infection may spread more quickly in crowded conditions
    • Pollution
      • Pollution may kill some individuals, altering the structure of an ecosystem, e.g.
        • A build-up of heavy metals in a food chain may affect top predators more than lower trophic levels, reducing predation
        • Fertiliser run-off into water bodies may cause algal overgrowth, providing food for algae feeders but reducing light and oxygen levels deeper under the water

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Naomi H

Author: Naomi H

Expertise: Biology

Naomi graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Biological Sciences. She has 8 years of classroom experience teaching Key Stage 3 up to A-Level biology, and is currently a tutor and A-Level examiner. Naomi especially enjoys creating resources that enable students to build a solid understanding of subject content, while also connecting their knowledge with biology’s exciting, real-world applications.