Final answer:
Demographic stochasticity concerns the random changes in a population's demographic characteristics like birth and death rates. It is part of the broader field of demography, which studies how these changes over time affect population size and structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
What Does Demographic Stochasticity Include?
Demographic stochasticity includes the random fluctuations that occur in the demographic characteristics of a population, due to chance events influencing birth rates, death rates, and life expectancies. Demography is the statistical study of population changes over time, and it allows scientists to study the dynamics of a population. Factors such as population size, population density, sex ratio, and age structure significantly contribute to the birth rates and overall population growth or decline. A large population size may lead to higher birth and death rates, while high population density can increase the possibility of reproductive encounters. Moreover, demographic characteristics displayed through life tables help understand how populations respond to various biotic and abiotic factors.