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POPULATION ECOLOGY
Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ecology | Is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment |
| Species | Is a group of individuals that interbreed and produce fertile offspring |
| Population | Members of a species that live in the same area at the same time |
| Community | All of the population in a particular area |
| Ecosystem | Includes all of the living things and their physical environments within a particular area |
| Biosphere | Includes all parts of Earth that host life, with all of its organisms and environments |
| Biotic Factors | Parts of an ecosystem that are living or used to be living |
| Abiotic Factors | Parts of an ecosystem that have never been living |
| Habitat | The specific environment in which an organism lives |
| Resource | Is anything an organism needs, including nutrition, shelter, breeding sites, and mates |
| Population Size | Describes the number of individual organisms present in a given population at a given time |
| Population Density | Describes the number of individuals within a population per unit area |
| Population Distribution | Describes how organisms are arranged within an area |
| Age Structure | Describes the relative numbers of organisms of each age within a population |
| Age Structure Diagrams | Are visual tools scientists use to show the age structure of populations |
| Sex Ratio | Is its proportion of males to females |
| Survivorship Curves | Shows the three basic types |
| Immigration | Is the arrival of individuals from outside a given area |
| Emigration | Is the departure of individuals from a given area |
| Migration | Is a seasonal movement into and out of an area |
| Exponential Growth | When a population increases by a fixed percentage each year |
| Limiting Factors | Are characteristics of the environment that limit population growth |
| Carrying Capacity | Is the largest population size a given environment can sustainably support |
| Logistic Growth | Describes how a population's initial exponential increase is slowed and finally stopped by limiting factors |
| Density-Dependent Factor | Because its influence changes with population density |
| Density-Independent Factor | Are limiting factors whose influence is not affected by population density |
| Biotic Potential | Maximum ability to produce offspring in ideal conditions |