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Sookdeo ES Ch. 4
Population Ecology
Question | Answer |
---|---|
ecology | study of how organisms interact with one another and with the environment |
species | organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce offsprings |
population | a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same place |
community | different species or population that live together in a habitat |
ecosystem | community of organisms that live together in their nonliving environment |
biosphere | the Earth and all of its organisms and environments |
biotic factor | living part of the environment |
abiotic factor | non-living part of the environment (ex.water,soil) |
habitat | the specific environment in which an organism lives |
resource | anything an organism needs such as nutrition, shelter and mates |
population size | the number of individual organisms present in a population at a given time |
population density | number of individuals per unit area |
population distribution | describes the way individuals are spaced out across their range |
age structure | the relative number of organisms of each age within a population; also called age distribution |
age structure diagram | a chart that shows the age distribution of a population; also called age pyramid |
sex ratio | the proportion of males to females in a population |
survivorship curve | a graph showing the likelihood of survival within a group or population by age |
immigration | movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population |
emigration | movement of individuals out of an area |
migration | the seasonal movement of organisms into and out of an area |
exponential growth | growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate |
limiting factor | factor that causes population growth to decrease |
carrying capacity | largest number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support |
logistic growth | growth pattern in which a population’s growth slows and then stops following a period of exponential growth |
density dependent factor | limiting factor that depends on population density |
density independent factor | limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of the population density |
biotic potential | the growth rate of a population under ideal conditions |