People who live in rural areas are more likely to own their own homes, live in their state of birth and have served in the military than their urban counterparts, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how ecologists measure population size and density
Describe three different patterns of population distribution
Use life tables to calculate mortality rates
Describe the three types of survivorship curves and relate them to specific populations