WHAT IF? Suppose you were studying a species that has a population cycle of about ten years. How long would you need to study the species to determine if its population size were declining? Explain

The density-dependent factors affect the population size and can stabilize a population near its carrying capacity.These factors involve intraspecific competition for local food, space, competition, disease, and increased predation.

Population size can be defined as the number of individuals in the population.It is estimated by dividing the number of individuals obtaining service and the proportion of individuals distributing some objects in a representative survey.

It allows scientists to determine the population changes and growth rate over time. The estimated population size data allows modeling of the population variation over time.

The factors affecting the population size are death rate, birth rate, emigration, and immigration. These factors account for population change or determine how much the population is reducing or increasing.

If the population cycle of a species is ten years, more than ten years or atleast 20 years is required to be studied to have sufficient data for determining if its population is decreasing.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to identify whether an observed reduction in the population size reflected a long-term trend or a part of the normal cycle.