Notes

Density refers to how closely together members of the population live together. It is calculated by # individuals divided by area. The density may not be uniform and the actually placement of the individuals is called the dispersion. Dispersions can be clumped, uniform, or random. Populations will evolve to use the dispersion that increases their chances of survival. Human typically exhibit a clumped dispersion.
Increased density can create limitations to a population that would not occur at lower densities, these are known as density dependent factors. Most notable the likelihood of competition is higher at high densities. Competition can be between individuals of different species, “interspecific competition” or between individuals of the same species, “intraspecific competition”. Density dependent factors can be compared to density independent factors where the density does not change anything. For example, temperature and climate.