Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
bcor 1450 final
ecology and evolution
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment |
| evolution | the scientific study of changes in heritable characteristics of organisms over successive generations |
| organismal ecology | concerned with how an organisms structure, physiology, and behavior meet challenges of their environment |
| population ecology | analyzes factors affecting population size and why it changes over time |
| population | a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time |
| community ecology | examines the affect of interspecific interactions on community structure and organization |
| biological community | consists of all the species that interact with one another within a particular area |
| ecosystem ecology | emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms in an environment |
| ecosystem | the community of organisms in an area and the physical factoes with which they interact |
| landscape ecology | focuses on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems |
| landscape | a mosaic of connected ecosystems |
| global ecology | examines how the exchange of energy and materials influences the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere |
| biosphere | the global ecosystem, which is the sum of all of Earth's ecosystems and landscapes |
| ecological niche | the range of conditions that a species can tolerate and the range of resources it uses |
| niche | the range of resources that a species can use and the range of conditions it can tolerate, aka the role a species plays in its ecosystem |
| dispersal | the movement of individuals from their place of origin to a location where they can live and breed as adults |
| biogeography | the study of how organisms are distributed geographically throughout geological time |
| range | geographic distribution of a species as determined by biotic and abiotic factors |
| what determines the distribution and abundance of organisms (biotic and abiotic)? | size of population, if it is growing or shrinking, location, the factors that affects birth and death rates |
| density | the number of individuals per unit area or volume |
| direct counts | best for counting small populations, in some cases you can count all individuals within the boundaries of the population |
| quadrat sampling | useful for plants or sessile organisms, sub-sampling and extrapolation used to estimate entire population |
| mark recapture | useful for wildlife, captures a random sample of individuals and tags them, then captures a second set of individuals and use an equation to solve for total population size |
| random dispersion | position of individuals is independent of each other, with no predictable pattern |
| clumped dispersion | usually happens if habitat resource concentration is patchy or organisms are social and rely on social interactions |
| uniform dispersion | if negative interactions occur among individuals that causes them to space out evenly |
| demography | the study of factors that determine the size and structure of populations through time, dependent on emigration and immigration, and birth and death rates |
| cohort | a group of individuals of the same age that can be followed over time |
| age class | a group of individuals of a specific age |
| survivorship | the proportion of offspring produced that survive, on average, to a particular age |
| fecundity | the number of female offspring produced by each female |
| net reproductive rate | tells us how a population is growing or shrinking |
| fitness trade-offs | occur because every individual has a restricted amount of time and energy at its disposal, resources are limited |
| type I survivorship curve | survivorship throughout life is high and most individuals approach the natural life span - ex. humans |
| type II survivorship curve | most individuals experience relatively constant survivorship, gradual decline - ex. songbirds |
| type III survivorship curve | high death rates early in life with high survivorship after maturity - ex. ants |
| life history | comprises the traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction and survival |
| three components of life history | age of first reproduction (maturity), frequency of reproduction, amount of offspring produced per reproductive episode |
| semelparity | organisms reproduce once in their lifetime |
| iteroparity | organisms reproduce multiple times over their lifetime |
| tradeoffs | use of resources for one function, such as reproduction, can reduce resources for another function, like survival |
| exponential growth | the accelerating increase that occurs when growth is unlimited |
| J-shaped curve | when plotted on a graph because the population is changing at a rate proportional to its current size |
| density independent | population size does not limit growth rate |
| high r | species that breed at a young age and produce many offspring have a high per capita rate of increase |
| density dependent | when a population size gets very high, population per capita birthrate decreases and death rate increases, causing r to decline |
| carrying capacity (K) | the maximum number of individuals in a population that can be supported in a particular habitat over time |
| mechanisms of density dependent regulation | competition for resources, disease, intrinsic factors, toxic waste, territoriality |
| density independent factors | generally abiotic, changing birth rates and death rates irrespective of population size, such as weather or natural disaster |
| K-selection | refers to selection for life history traits that are advantageous when density is high, resources are low, and competition is strong |
| R-selection | refers to selection for life history traits that maximizes reproductive success when density is low and there is little competition |
| species interactions | the relationship between two species, described by how they affect a species, either incurs fitness cost (-) or gains fitness benefit (+) |
| fitness | the ability to survive and produce viable, fertile offspring |
| commensalism (+,0) | one species benefits, one is unaffected |
| consumption (+, -) | one organism eats or absorbs nutrients from another, increasing the consumers fitness while decreasing the victim's; predation, herbivory, and parasitism |
| mutualism (+,+) | 2 species interact |
| competition (-,-) | individuals use some resources, lowering fitness of both |
| coevolutionary arms race | a repeating cycle of reciprocal adaptation, occurs as predators and prey interact over time; consumers evolve traits that increase efficiency and prey evolve unpalatable or elusive traits |
| mechanical defense | ex. porcupine quills |
| chemical defense | ex. skunk spray |
| aposematic coloring | warning coloration ex. poison dart frog |
| batesian mimicry | a harmless species mimics a harmful one |
| mullerian mimicry | two unpalatable species mimic each other |
| cryptic coloration | camouflage |
| intraspecific competition | occurs between members of the same species, intensifies as population density increases, major cause of density-dependent growth |
| interspecific competition | occurs between different species for a limited resource |
| resource partitioning (niche differentiation) | the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community |
| character displacement | the change in a species traits, enabling species to exploit different resources and makes niche differentiation possible |
| species composition | list of species present in a community |
| species richness | number of species in a community |
| species evenness | abundance of each species in a community |
| diversity stability hypothesis | higher biodiversity leads to greater ecosystem stability |
| keystone species | a species that has a much greater impact on the community than would be expected given abundance or biomass |
| disturbance | any strong, short lived disruption to a community that changes the distribution of living or nonliving resources |
| disturbances impact | combination of 3 factors; type, frequency, and severity of disturbance |
| intermediate disturbance hypothesis | states that moderate levels of disturbance foster greater diversity than high or low levels do |
| geographic patterns | general correlation of species richness and 2 abiotic variables; latitude, evolutionary history, and climate |
| 3 processes influence species richness | speciation, extinction, dispersal |
| species area curve | quantifies the idea that, all other factors being equal, a larger geographic area has more species (larger areas have greater diversity) |
| island biogeography model | the number of species on an island depends on size of island, distance from the mainland, and ongoing balance of immigration and extinction |
| conservation biology | discipline that integrates ecology, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology to conserve the diversity of Earth |
| genetic diversity | compromises genetic variation within a population and between populations, with the extinction of a population reducing genetic diversity required for microevolution within a species |
| species diversity | the number of species in an ecosystem or across the biosphere |
| importance of biodiversity | humans rely heavily on the biodiversity of Earth to survive, including provisioning, regulating, and supporting the human race while also providing cultural significance aswell |
| threats to biodiversity | HIPPO: habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, people, overharvesting |
Created by:
sadiejude