Misconception |
Reference* |
|
Populations coexist in an ecological system because
of their compatible needs and behaviors: they need to get along.
|
Munson 1991 |
Populations exist in states of either constant
growth or decline depending upon their position in a food chain.
|
Munson 1991 |
Some ecosystems are limitless resources and provide
an opportunity for limitless growth of a population.
|
Munson 1991 |
| Populations higher on a food web increase in size because they deplete those lower in the web. |
Munson 1991, 1994 |
The relative sizes of prey and predator populations have
no bearing on the size of the other. |
Gallegos et al. 1994 |
| In a food web, a change of size in one population will only affect another population if the two populations are directly related as predator and prey. |
Gallegos et al. 1994 |
| The number of producers is high to satisfy consumers. |
Lavoie 1997 |
| Density-dependent factors are biotic, and density-independent factors are abiotic. |
Lavoie 1997 |
| Populations increase until limits are reached, then they crash and go extinct. |
McComas 2002 |
| Varying the population size of a species will only affect the others that are directly connected through a food chain. |
Griffiths & Grant 1985, Munson 1991 |
| Varying the population size of an organism will affect all other organisms to the same degree. |
Munson 1991 |
| Number of producers (or plants) is large so to satisfy consumers (animals). |
Leach et al. 1996 |
| More herbivores than carnivores because people keep and breed herbivores. |
Leach et al. 1996 |
|
*Complete references are available on the Resources
Page. |
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The
Ecosystem