Population size

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In population genetics and population ecology, population size (usually denoted N) is the number of individual organisms in a population.

The effective population size (Ne) is defined as "the number of breeding individuals in an idealized population that would show the same amount of dispersion of allele frequencies under random genetic drift or the same amount of inbreeding as the population under consideration." Ne is usually less than N (the absolute population size) and this has important applications in conservation genetics.

Small population size results in increased genetic drift. Population bottlenecks are when population size reduces for a short period of time.

Overpopulation may indicate any case in which the population of any species of animal may exceed the carrying capacity of its ecological niche.

For more information about Population size, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with population size


Abundance of a look-alike species clouds population status of a million dollar fish

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 10, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

The prized white marlin, sought by anglers in million dollar prize tournaments and captured incidentally in commercial fisheries, is among the most overfished marine species under international management and the subject ...





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Does Glutathione-S-transferase associate with gastrointestinal cancer in Korean population?

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null genotypes have been linked to increased risk of developing cancer. The results regarding the association between GSTM1 and GSTT1 null ...


Poor face greater health burden than smokers or the obese

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The average low-income person loses 8.2 years of perfect health, the average high school dropout loses 5.1 years, and the obese lose 4.2 years, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. ...


Microcephaly genes associated with human brain size

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1

A group of Norwegian and American researchers have shown that common variations in genes associated with microcephaly - a neuro-developmental disorder in which brain size is dramatically reduced - may explain differences ...


Even at sublethal levels, pesticides may slow the recovery of wild salmon populations

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Biologists determined that short-term, seasonal exposure to pesticides in rivers and basins may limit the growth and size of wild salmon populations. In addition to the widespread deterioration of salmon habitats, these findings ...


'Self-seeding' of cancer cells may play a critical role in tumor progression

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 24, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Cancer progression is commonly thought of as a process involving the growth of a primary tumor followed by metastasis, in which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to distant organs. A new study by researchers ...


Hubble Finds Smallest Kuiper Belt Object Ever Seen

Hubble Finds Smallest Kuiper Belt Object Ever Seen

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (20) | comments 8

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered the smallest object ever seen in visible light in the Kuiper Belt, a vast ring of icy debris that is encircling the outer rim of the solar system ...


Ubiquitous health: Enabling telemedicine to cut hospital visits, save money

Technology / Telecom

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A ubiquitous health monitoring system that automatically alerted the patient's family or physician to problematic changes in the person's vital signs could cut hospital visits and save lives, according to Japanese researchers ...


World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up

World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up (w/ Video)

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

The world's rarest -- and most camera shy -- great ape has finally been captured on professional video on a forested mountain in Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and Germany's NDR Naturfilm.


Genetic study clarifies African and African-American ancestry

Genetic study clarifies African and African-American ancestry

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (11) | comments 0

People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released ...


Study unveils potential genetic links to lung disease risk

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study involving data from more than 20,000 individuals has uncovered several DNA sequences linked to impaired pulmonary function. The research, an analysis that combined the results of several smaller studies, provides ...



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