Conservation and populations
Lionfish come from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Released into the Atlantic, they spread across the Caribbean, where few predators eat them and they eat many small reef fish. An invasive species like this can change every population on a reef. Conservation is how people protect and restore what is there.
By the end of this page you can
- Explain how invasive species, disasters and conservation affect populations
- Name the factors that limit the growth of a population
- Describe the stages of a population growth curve
- Define conservation, invasive species and limiting factor
- Suggest ways to conserve a Caribbean habitat
Goals tick themselves off as you try the activities below.
Photo: Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped, JPEG q66.
A lionfish on a Caribbean reef. Several islands now encourage fishers to catch and eat them.
How often it shows up in past papers
Paper 1 counts come from our past-paper bank of CSEC Biology Paper 1s. Paper 2 is not included yet.
Pressures, and how we push back
Populations rise and fall for reasons you can name. Some we can only prepare for; others we can fix. Tap each card.
What limits a population
No population grows for ever. Tap each pressure to see a Caribbean example.
What holds numbers down?
Tap a pressure on the list to see an example.
Ways to conserve: protected areas and marine parks, replanting mangroves and forests, organic farming with compost and natural pest control, laws on fishing and hunting, education, and monitoring numbers over time.
A population grows
A few giant snails reach a new island. Put the stages of the population growth curve in order. Drag or tap each card into its slot.
What happens when only a few arrive?
Seven terms to know cold
Say what each term means before you flip the card. Give a Caribbean example with each one.
Six quick questions, then a real one
Pick an answer to see why it’s right or wrong.
Why have lionfish become a problem on Caribbean reefs?
Which of these is a conservation measure?
On a population growth curve, numbers level off because
The human population grew very fast in the last century mainly because
Organic farming uses
Which factor can wipe out a population whatever its size?
exam style · 3 marks
Suggest THREE ways a Caribbean community could help to conserve a coral reef.
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Practice questions are written by My V.I.P. Academy. They are not official CXC papers.