AP Environmental Science / Unit 3: Populations
3.3 Survivorship Curves
Notes
- Type I: high survival until old age (humans, elephants).
- Type II: constant death rate (birds, squirrels).
- Type III: high death rate early (fish, insects, plants).
Practice
Sea turtles lay hundreds of eggs, and most hatchlings die. Type:
Early mortality.
Type I is typical of:
Parental care.
A straight-line (constant) survivorship curve is:
Equal chance of death at any age.
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