Problem 2
Population census data can be used to establish correlations between abundance and external factors such as weather. Why can such correlations not be used to prove a causal relationship that explains the dynamics of the population?
Problem 3
Distinguish between the determination and regulation of population abundance.
Problem 4
Imagine a number of species with patchy distributions: a plant, an insect and a mammal \- or consider examples of such species with which you are familiar. How would you identify 'habitable patches' of these species that are not currently occupied by them?
Problem 5
What is meant by a 'metapopulation' and how does it differ from a simple 'population'?
Problem 6
Define founder control and dominance control as they apply to community organization. In a mosaic of habitat patches, how would you expect communities to differ if they were dominated by founder or dominance control?
Problem 8
Draw up a food web of, say, six or seven species with which you are familiar and which spans at least three trophic levels. Take each species in turn and suggest the kind of community organization that would be necessary for this to be a keystone species.
