Introduction to Population Ecology is a self-paced, online course offering a comprehensive look at community dynamics, species interactions, predator-prey cycles, species distribution, population growth and regulation, niches, and competition. It is an excellent progression from our Introduction to Ecology course or as a standalone resource for those with some preexisting ecological knowledge. It is designed for individuals pursuing ecological consultancy, research, or conservation careers. Introduction to Population Ecology will give you essential insights and practical understanding that can be applied to various ecological and environmental disciplines.

Course format: The course is presented as nine self-study modules that you can read through in your own time. To further enhance your knowledge and learning experience, there will be some directed reading for each module. It is essential that you complete this to make sure you get the most out of the course. There will be a short quiz at the end, and if you get over 70%, you will receive a Certificate.

Time commitment: We advise students to allow 2-4 hours per module to complete each module and to read around the subject.

How to book: You can book on-line here. Once you have booked, we will e-mail you to confirm that your booking has been received and you will then be able to start the course.

Introduction to Population Ecology Course Outline

Module 1 – What is a population?

• Populations definition and examples
• Demography – describing populations
• Population size and density and methods for measuring
• Species distribution – uniform, random, clumped

Module 2 – Predicting population size

• Life tables
• Survivorship
• Age-sex structure

Module 3 – Survival and reproduction in populations

• Life history strategies
• Parental care vs fecundity
• Single vs multiple reproduction

Module 4 – Population growth

• Density dependent and independent factors
• Predator-prey cycles (also Module 9)
• Exponential and logistic growth
• Carrying capacity

Module 5 – Population regulation

• Density dependent and independent factors
• Population fluctuations
• Population cycles

Module 6 – Interactions between populations

• Ecological communities
• Interspecific interactions – competition, predation, symbiosis, mutualism. Commensalism, parasitism

Module 7 – Ecological interactions

• Consumer/heterotroph
• Predators and prey
• Carnivores and herbivores
• Autotrophs
• Primary, secondary, tertiary consumers
• Competition

Module 8 – Niches and competition

• What is a niche?
• Interspecific competition
• Competitive Exclusion Principle
• Resource partitioning

Module 9 – Predator-prey cycles

• Predators
• Predator-prey population dynamics
• Defence mechanisms
• Course Summary

Here’s what our students are saying:

The course provides an easy to understand and well structured overview of the basics of population ecology. The references provided also enable further in depth reading into the subjects. Links are also provided to videos that really help explain the principles further.

John Barrett

It was very informative and easy to access and navigate.

Tim

The material was concise and easy to understand; I loved the flexibility and ability to get the qualifications done at your own pace; and Sue was brilliant!

Deren

I liked the ability to undertake the course at my own pace.

Naomi

I liked the way Sue explained each module, she was clear and her passion was visible! She motivated me even more!

Sara

A career change in your 40’s its quite a daunting prospect, and even though I had completed lots of self study, small courses and training- I knew there were likely a few gaps in my knowledge, so doing a full structured course made good sense. Whilst some of the content was quite familiar, I was surprised by just how big some of the knowledge gaps were – it really boosted my confidence studying the modules and realising why they were so important. It is a great course that I would recommend to anyone wanting to qualify in Conservation, and has certainly helped me in my new career working as part of a landscape recovery project team

Bill Bradshaw

This course was really interesting thank you!

Georgia