A population in terms of ecology is a group of organisms of the same species which generally occupy the same geographical area at a specific time (Krebs, 2001). Members of a population interact with a similar environment and experience similar environmental limits. Population dynamics is largely determined by the influences on the population structure through biotic and abiotic factors. Population studies or dynamics depend on birth and death rates to help understand a certain population. Using empirical and historical data birth rates and death rates can be determined. Survivorship is the number of individuals alive at the beginning of a time period or age interval, ultimately a mortality rate. Survivorship data helps provide an insight to death and birth rates and how they change over time (Purves et al, 1998). Whereas survivorship curves reveal the relationship between the number of survivors over changes in time (Purves et al, 1998). The three types of survivorship curves are type I, where death is simultaneous after a life span, type II, survivorship is the same for entire life span and type III, survivorship of young individuals is low and then high for remaining life span (Purves et al, 1998). .
M.C. Molles states that human survivorship follows a type I survivorship curve (1999). The following objective of this assignment is to use mortality data collected from Brock Road cemetery and West Flamborough Presbyterian Church cemetery.
to construct a survivorship curve. Both cemeteries are located in western Flamborough adjacent to Ancaster/Dundas Ontario and are within twenty five kilometers of one another. The two cemeteries are situated on the outskirts of urban landscapes but are essentially rural in location. The population of Flamborough today is roughly over thirty thousand people. Other cemeteries in the vicinity were prevented from being surveyed due to geographical constraints.
Survivorship curves are data from column lx in a life table plotted on semilog paper. For wildlife managers using there tables and curves is very useful in populations. ... The survivorship curve is used to see how long the species lives before it starts to decline of old age and eventually die. 4. ...
