Population definition| Biodiversity A-Z (original) (raw)
Biodiversity Terms
Definition
A group of individuals of the same species, occupying a defined area, and usually isolated to some degree from other similar groups. Populations can be relatively reproductively isolated and adapted to local environments.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 1
Note: The term ‘population’ is used in a specific sense in the Red List Criteria that is different to its common biological usage. Population is here defined as the total number of individuals of the taxon. For functional reasons, primarily owing to differences between life forms, population size is measured as numbers of mature individuals only.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 2