Population Biology

Population biology is the study of populations of organisms, focusing on the factors that affect their size, density, genetic composition, and distribution over time. It integrates principles from both ecology and evolutionary biology to understand how populations interact with their environment and how they change genetically from one generation to the next. By examining dynamics such as birth and death rates, migration, and the effects of natural selection and genetic drift, this field provides the fundamental framework for understanding how species adapt, persist, and evolve.

1. Introduction to Population Biology
   1. Definition of a Population
      1. Biological Criteria for Defining Populations
      2. Geographic Boundaries
      3. Temporal Boundaries
      4. Genetic Connectivity
      5. Examples of Natural Populations
         1. Local Populations
         2. Breeding Populations
         3. Ecological Populations
   2. Scope of Population Biology
      1. Core Questions in Population Biology
      2. Research Areas and Methods
      3. Historical Development of the Field
      4. Modern Approaches and Technologies
   3. Relationship to Other Biological Disciplines
      1. Connections to Ecology
      2. Connections to Evolutionary Biology
      3. Overlap with Genetics
      4. Overlap with Conservation Biology
      5. Integration with Molecular Biology
   4. Key Terminology and Concepts
      1. Population
      2. Community
      3. Metapopulation
      4. Demography
      5. Gene Pool
      6. Effective Population Size
      7. Census Population Size