This document defines key terms related to population ecology and community ecology. It discusses concepts like population size, density, growth, limiting factors, carrying capacity, competition, predation, succession, and species interactions through symbiosis and parasitism. Definitions are provided for fundamental topics such as population ecology, population dynamics, survivorship curves, and theories around island biogeography.
This document defines key terms related to population ecology and community ecology. It discusses concepts like population size, density, growth, limiting factors, carrying capacity, competition, predation, succession, and species interactions through symbiosis and parasitism. Definitions are provided for fundamental topics such as population ecology, population dynamics, survivorship curves, and theories around island biogeography.
This document defines key terms related to population ecology and community ecology. It discusses concepts like population size, density, growth, limiting factors, carrying capacity, competition, predation, succession, and species interactions through symbiosis and parasitism. Definitions are provided for fundamental topics such as population ecology, population dynamics, survivorship curves, and theories around island biogeography.
This document defines key terms related to population ecology and community ecology. It discusses concepts like population size, density, growth, limiting factors, carrying capacity, competition, predation, succession, and species interactions through symbiosis and parasitism. Definitions are provided for fundamental topics such as population ecology, population dynamics, survivorship curves, and theories around island biogeography.
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 3
Braylon Smith
Ch. 6 vocab
Population- all the inhabitants of a particular
town, area, or country. Community- a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Population ecology- the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment Population size (N) - the number of individual organisms in a population. Population density- a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. Population distribution- the pattern of where people live. Sex ratio- the ratio of males to females in a population. Age structure- a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population. Limiting resource- environmental conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population of organisms in an ecosystem. Density-dependent factor- factors where the effects on the size or growth of a population vary with the density of the population. Carrying capacity (K)- the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation Density-independent factor- factor limiting the size of a population whose effect is not dependent on the number of individuals in the population. Population growth model- the increase in the number of individuals in a population. Population growth rate- the rate at which the number of individuals in a population increases in a given time period as a fraction
Corridor- a link of wildlife habitat, generally
native vegetation, which joins two or more larger areas of similar wildlife habitat. Metapopulation- a group of populations that are separated by space but consist of the same species. Inbreeding depression- the reduced biological fitness in a given population as a result of inbreeding, or breeding of related individuals. Community ecology- the study of the interactions between species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales, including the distribution, structure, abundance, demography, and interactions between coexisting populations. Symbiotic relationship- a special type of interaction between species. Sometimes beneficial, sometimes harmful, these relationships are essential to many organisms and ecosystems, and they provide a balance that can only be achieved by working together. Competition- an interaction between organisms or species in which the fitness of one is lowered by the presence of another. Competitive exclusion principle- a proposition that states that two species competing for the same resource cannot coexist at constant population values, if other ecological factors remain constant. Resource partitioning- when species divide a niche to avoid competition for resources Predation- the preying of one animal on others. Parasitoid- an insect whose larvae live as parasites that eventually kill their hosts (typically other insects). Parasitism- a relationship between two things in which one of them (the parasite) benefits
of the initial population.
Intrinsic growth rate (r)- rate at which a population increases in size if there are no density-dependent forces regulating the population. Exponential growth model- the growth rate of the value of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value. J-shaped curve- Exponential Growth Logistic growth model- growth rate of zero means that the population is not growing, which is what happens at carrying capacity because the birth rate usually equals the death rate. S-shaped curve- the population density of an organism increases slowly initially, in a positive acceleration phase; then increases rapidly, approaching an exponential growth rate Overshoot- occurs when a population exceeds the long term carrying capacity of its environment. Die-off- Consequence of allowing overshoot. K-selected species- occurring when a population is at or near the carrying capacity of the environment, which is usually stable: tends to favor individuals that successfully compete for resources and produce few, slowly developing young, and results in a stable population of long-lived individuals. r-selected species- short gestation periods, mature quickly survivorship curve- a graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving to each age for a given species or group Type I survivorship curve- shows individuals that have a high probability of surviving through early and middle life but have a rapid decline in the number of individuals surviving into late life Type II survivorship curve- shows a roughly constant mortality rate for the species through its entire life. This means that the individual's
from or lives off of the other
Pathogen- a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease Herbivory- the eating of plants, especially ones that are still living. Mutualism- symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved. Commensalism- an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. Keystone species- a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically. Ecosystem engineer- an organism that modifies, creates or destroys habitat and directly or indirectly modulates the availability of resources to other species, causing physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials. Ecological succession- the gradual process by which ecosystems change and develop over time. Nothing remains the same and habitats are constantly changing. Primary succession- occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and other organisms usually lacking soil. Secondary succession- the series of community changes which take place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat. Pioneer species- first of a species to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse steady-state ecosystem. Theory of island biogeography- a field within biogeography that examines the factors that affect the species richness of isolated natural communities.
chance of dying is independent of their age.
Type III survivorship curve- depicts species where few individuals will live to adulthood and die as they get older because the greatest mortality for these individuals is experienced early in life.