Survivorship

Survivorship refers to the proportion of individuals in a population that survive to a particular age. It is a key component of demography, the study of populations, and is used in a variety of fields including ecology, wildlife management, epidemiology, and actuarial science. Survivorship can be studied in both human and non-human populations.

Types of Survivorship Curves

There are three main types of survivorship curves: Type I, Type II, and Type III.

• Type I curves are characterized by high survival rates for juveniles and adults, with most mortality occurring among older individuals. This is typical of many large mammals, including humans in developed countries.

• Type II curves represent a population where the chance of survival is independent of age. This means that individuals are equally likely to die at any age. Some bird species exhibit this type of survivorship curve.

• Type III curves are characterized by high mortality rates for juveniles, with a lower mortality rate for adults. This is typical of many species that produce a large number of offspring, such as insects and plants.

Factors Affecting Survivorship

Several factors can affect survivorship, including predation, disease, and environmental conditions. These factors can influence the shape of a population's survivorship curve.

Survivorship in Humans

In humans, survivorship is often studied in the context of life expectancy and mortality rates. Advances in healthcare, nutrition, and living conditions have led to increases in human survivorship over time, particularly in developed countries.

See Also

• Life table
• Mortality rate
• Life expectancy
• Population ecology

Survivorship Resources
Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia