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Chapter 6 APES
Term | Definition |
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Population | The individuals that belong to the same species and live in a species and live in a given area at a particular time. |
Community | All of the population of organisms. |
Population Ecology | The study of factors that cause populations to increase or decrease. |
Population Size (N) | The total number of individuals within a defined area at a given time. |
Population density | The number of individuals per unit area at a given time. |
Population distribution | A description of how individuals are distributed with respect to one another. |
Sex ratio | The ratio of males to females in a population. |
Age Structure | A description of how many individuals fit into a particular age categories in a population. |
Limiting Resource | A resource that a population cannot live without and that occurs in quantities lower than the population would require to increase in size. |
Density-dependent factor | A factor that influences an individual's probability of survival and reproduction in a manner that depends on the size of the population. |
Density-independent factor | A factor that has the same effect on an individuals probability of survival and the amount of reproduction at any population size. |
Carrying capacity (K) | The total capacity for a population to be sustained. |
Population growth models | Mathematical equations that can be used to predict population size at any moment in time. |
Population growth rate | The number of offspring an individual can produce in a given time period, minus the deaths of the individual or its offspring during the same period. |
Intrinsic growth rate (r) | The max. potential for growth of a population under ideal conditions with unlimited resources. |
Exponential growth model | A growth model that estimates a population's future size after a period of time based on the intrinsic growth rate and the number of reproducing individuals currently in the population. |
J-Curve | The curve of the exponential growth model when graphed. |
Logistic growth model | A growth model that describes a population whose growth in initially exponential, but slows as the population approaches the carrying capacity of the environment. |
S-Curve | The shape of the logistic growth model when graphed. |
Overshoot & Die-off | When a population becomes larger than the environment's carrying capacity. |
K-selected species | A species with a low intrinsic growth rate that causes the population to increase slowly until it reaches carrying capacity. |
r-selected species | A species that has a high intrinsic growth rate, which often leads to population overshoots and die-offs. |
Survivor-ship curves (I, II, III) | A graph that represents the distinct patterns of species survival as a function of age. |
Metapopulation | A group of spatially distinct populations that are connected by occasional movements of individuals between them. |
shifting agriculture | an agricultural method in which land is cleared and used for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients. |
desertification | the transformation of arable, productive land to desert or unproductive land due to climate change or destructive land use |
nomadic grazing | the feeding of herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances |
sustainable agriculture | agriculture that fulfills the need for food and fiber while enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing economic viability for the farmer |
intercropping | an agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction |
crop rotation | an agricultural technique in which crop species in a field are rotated from season to season |
agroforestry | an agricultural technique in which trees and vegetables are intercropped |
contour plowing | an agricultural technique in which plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land |
perennial vs annual plant | perennial plant: a plant that lives for multiple years annual plant: a plant that lives only one season |
no-till agriculture | an agricultural method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons as a means of reducing topsoil erosion |
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) | an agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs |
organic agriculture | production of crops without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers |
Individual Transfer Quota (ITQ) | a fishery management program in which individual fishers are given total allowable catch of fish in a season that they can either catch or sell |
aquaculture | farming aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweeds |