Introduction

A number of factors make small populations vulnerable. The Allee Effect occurs when the reproductive rate declines in very small populations. Habitat destruction may wipe out a population—and the effect is more pronounced if the species’ numbers are low to begin with. Small populations are susceptible to the negative consequences of inbreeding. In this exercise we examine another important factor in small populations: demographic stochasticity. As the population size declines, chance variation in important demographic variables may cause further decreases in the population.