Biotic potential is described by the unrestricted growth of populations resulting in the maximum growth of that population. Biotic potential is the highest possible vital index of a species; therefore, when the species has its highest

birthrate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

and lowest

mortality rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of de ...

Quantitative Expression

The biotic potential is the quantitative expression of the ability of a species to face

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...

in any

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. The main equilibrium of a particular population is described by the equation: :Number of Individuals = Biotic Potential/Resistance of the Environment (Biotic and Abiotic) Chapman also relates to a "vital index", regarding a ratio to find the rate of surviving members of a species, whereas; :Vital Index = (number of births/number of deaths)*100.

Components

According to the ecologist R.N. Chapman (1928), the biotic potential could be divided into a reproductive and survival potential. The survival potential could in turn be divided into nutritive and protective potentials. Reproductive potential (potential

natality The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

) is the upper limit to biotic potential in the absence of mortality. Survival potential is the

reciprocal Reciprocal may refer to: In mathematics * Multiplicative inverse, in mathematics, the number 1/''x'', which multiplied by ''x'' gives the product 1, also known as a ''reciprocal'' * Reciprocal polynomial, a polynomial obtained from another pol ...

mortality Mortality is the state of being mortal, or susceptible to death; the opposite of immortality. Mortality may also refer to: * Fish mortality, a parameter used in fisheries population dynamics to account for the loss of fish in a fish stock throug ...

. Because reproductive potential does not account for the number of gametes surviving, survival potential is a necessary component of biotic potential. In the absence of mortality, biotic potential = reproductive potential. Chapman also identified two additional components of nutritive and protective potentials as divisions of the survival potential. Nutritive potential is the ability to acquire and use food for growth and energy. Protective potential is described by the ability of the organism to protect itself against the dynamic forces of environment in order to insure successful reproduction and offspring. Full expression of the biotic potential of an organism is restricted by environmental resistance, any condition that inhibits the increase in number of the population. It is generally only reached when environmental conditions are very favorable. A species reaching its biotic potential would exhibit exponential

population growth Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

and be said to have a high

fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...

, that is, how many offspring are produced per mother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biotic Potential Reproduction Reproductive ecology