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Audesirk Ch26
Virginia Tech Biology Lipscomb
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| abiotic | nonliving; the abiotic portion of an ecosystem includes soil, rock, water, and the atmosphere. |
| age structure | the distribution of males and females in a population according to age groups. |
| biotic | living |
| biotic potential | the maximum rate at which a population could increase, assuming ideal conditions that allow a maximum birth rate and minimum death rate. |
| birth rate | the number of births per individual in a specified unit of time, such as a year. |
| boom-and-bust-cycle | a population cycle characterized by rapid exponential growth followed by a sudden massive die-off, seen in seasonal species and in some populations of small rodents, such as lemmings. |
| carrying capacity | the maximum population size that an ecosystem can support indefinitely; determined primarily by the availability of space, nutrients, water, and light. |
| clumped distribution | the distribution characteristic of populations in which individuals are clustered into groups; may be social or based on the need for a localized resource. |
| community | all the interacting populations within an ecosystem. |
| competition | interaction among individuals who attempt to utilize a resource (for example, food or space) that is limited relative to the demand for it. |
| contest competition | a mechanism for resolving intraspecific competition by using social or chemical interactions. |
| death rate | the number of deaths per individual in a specified unit of time, such as a year. |
| demographic transition | a change in population dynamic in which a stable population experiences rapid growth and then returns to a stable (although much larger) size. |
| demography | the study of the changing human population. Using complex life tables, demographers measure and compare many aspects of human populations in different countries and world regions. |
| density-dependent | referring to any factor, such as predation, that limits population size more effectively as the population density increases. |
| density-independent | referring to any factor that limits a population’s size and growth regardless of its density. |
| ecological footprint | an estimate of the area of Earth’s surface required to produce the resources we use and to absorb the wastes we generate, expressed in acres of average productivity. |
| ecology | the study of the interrelationships of organisms with each other and with their nonliving environment. |
| ecosystem | all the organisms and their nonliving environment within a defined area |
| emigration | migration of individuals out of an area. |
| environmental resistance | any factor that tends to counteract biotic potential, limiting population size. |
| exponential growth | a continuously accelerating increase in population size |
| growth rate | a measure of the change in population size per individual per unit of time. |
| host | a measure of the change in population size per individual per unit of time. |
| immigration | migration of individuals into an area |
| interspecific competition | competition among individuals of different species |
| intraspecific competition | competition among individuals of the same specie |
| invasive species | organisms with a high biotic potential that are introduced (deliberately or accidentally) into ecosystems where they did not evolve and where they encounter little environmental resistance and tend to displace native species |
| J-Curve | the J-shaped growth curve of an exponentially growing population in which increasing numbers of individuals join the population during each succeeding time period |
| life table | a data table that groups organisms born at the same time and tracks them throughout their life span, recording how many continue to survive in each succeeding year (or other unit of time). Various parameters such as sex may be used in the groupings. |
| parasite | an organism that lives in or on, and feeds on, a larger organism called a host, weakening it. |
| population | all the members of a particular species within an ecosystem, found in the same time and place and actually or potentially interbreeding. |
| population cycle | regularly recurring, cyclic changes in population size |
| predator | organism that kills and eats other organisms |
| prey | organisms that are killed and eaten by another organism |
| random distribution | distribution characteristic of populations in which the probability of finding an individual is equal in all parts of an area |
| replacement-level fertility (RLF) | the average birthrate at which a reproducing population exactly replaces itself during its lifetime |
| scramble competition | a free-for-all scramble for limited resources among individuals of the same species |
| S-curve | the S-shaped growth curve that describes a population of long-lived organisms introduced into a new area; consists of an initial period of exponential growth, followed by decreasing growth rate, and, finally, relative stability around a growth rate of 0 |
| survivorship curve | a curve resulting when the number of individuals of each age in a population is graphed against their age, usually expressed as a percentage of their maximum life span. |
| uniform distribution | the distribution characteristic of a population with a relatively regular spacing of individuals, commonly as a result of territorial behavior. |
Created by:
hgarcia
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