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
Jazmin Nunez AP Bio
Ecology
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Population | Group of individuals all of the same species living in the same area |
| Community | Group of populations living in the same area |
| Ecosystem | describes the relationship between the organism in a community and their physical environment |
| Biosphere | composed of all regions of the earth containing living things |
| Habitat | the type of place where an organism usually lives |
| Niche | describes all of the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving)resources in the environment used by an organism |
| Size of population | represented by N; the total number of individuals in the population |
| Density of population | the total number of individuals per area or volume occupied |
| Dispersion | describes how individuals in a population are distributed |
| Age Structure | a description of the abundance of individuals of each age |
| Survivorship curves | describes how mortality of individuals in a species varies during their lifetimes |
| Type I curves | describes species in which most individuals survive to middle age |
| Type II curves | describes organisms in which the length of survivorship is random; the likelihood of death is the same at any age |
| Type III curves | describes species in which most individuals die young, with only a relative few surviving to reproductive age and beyond |
| Biotic potential | the maximum growth rate of a population under ideal conditions, with unlimited resources and without any growth restrictions |
| Carrying capacity | the maximum number of individuals of a population that can be sustained by a particular habitat |
| Limiting factor | those elements that prvent a population from attaining its biotic potential |
| Density-dependent factors | those agents whose limiting effect becomes more intense as the population density increases |
| Density-independent factors | occur independently of the density of the population |
| Reproductive rate (or growth rate) | represented as r; equals (births- deaths) divided by the population size at the beginning of the interval for which the births and deaths are counted |
| Intrinsic rate | is when the reproductive rate is maximum (the biotic potential) |
| Exponential growth | occurs whenever the reproductive rate is greater than zero |
| J-shaped curve | is formed by a plot of exponential growth rises quickly |
| Logistic growth | occurs when limiting factors restict the size of the population to the carrying capacity of the habitat |
| S-shaped (or sigmoid)curve | is formed by a plot of logistic growth |
| Population cycles | fluctuations in population size in response to varying effects of limiting factors |
| r-selected species | exhibits rapid growth (J-shaped curve) |
| Opportunistic species | characterizes the r-selected species, a type of reproductive strategy |
| K-selected species | one whose population size remains relatively constant |
| Interspecific competition | form of interaction; competition between different species |
| Competative exclusion principle (Gause's principle) | when two species compete for exactly the same resources (or occupy the same niche), one is likely to be more successful |
| Resource partitioning | some species coexist in spite of apparent competition for the same resources |
| Character displacement (niche shift) | as a resultof resource partitioning, certain characteristics may enable individuals to obtain resources in their partitions more successfully |
| Fundamental niche | the niche that an organism occupies in the absence of competingspecies |
| Realized niche | when competitors are present, however, one or both species may be able to coexist |
| Niche overlap | where they do not compete for the same resources |
| Predation | another form of community interaction |
| True predator | kills and eats another animal |
| Parasite | spends most of its life living on another organism, obtaining nourishment from the host by feeding of its tissues; host does not usually die |
| Parasitoid | an insect that lays its eggs on a host (usually an insect or spider); host dies |
| Hebivore | an animal that eats plants |
| Granivores | seed eaters; act like predators in that they totally consume the organism |
| Grazers | eat grass; may eat part of the plant but may weaken it in the process |
| Browsers | eat leaves of other plants;may eat part of the plant but may weaken it in the process |
| Symbiosis | term applied to two species that live together in close contact during a portion of their lives |
| Mutualism | a relationship in which both species benefit |
| Commensalism | one species benefits, while the second species is neither helped nor harmed |
| Parasitism | the parasite benefits from the living arrangements, while the host is harmed |
| Secondary compounds | toxic chemicals produced in plants that discourage would-be herbivores |
| Camouflage (or cryptic coloration) | any color, pattern, shape, or behavior that enables an animal to blend in with its surroundings |
| Aposematic coloration(or warning coloration) | a conspicuous pattern or coloration of animals that warns predators that they sting, bite, taste bad, or are otherwise to be avoided |
| Mimicry | occurs when two or more species resemble one another in appearance |
| Mullerian mimicry | occurs when several animals, all with some special defense mechanism, share the same coloration |
| Batesian mimicry | occurs when an animal without any special defense mechanism mimics the coloration of an animal that does posses a defense |
| Ecological succession | the change in the composition of species over time |
| Climax community | a final successional stage of constant species compositiom |
| Pioneer species | the plant and animals that are first to colonize a newly exposed habitat |
| Primary succession | occurs on substrates that never previously supported living things |
| Secondary succession | begins in habitats where communities were entirely or partially destroyed by some kind of damaging event |
| Trophic levels | plants and animals are organized into this group |
| Primary producers | autotrophs that convert sun energy into chemical energy |
| Primary consumers (or herbivores) | eat the primary producers |
| Secondary consumers (or primary carnivores) | eat the primary consumers |
| Tertiary consumers (or secondary carnivores) | eat the secondary consumers |
| Detritivores | consumers that obtain their energy by consuming dead plants and animals |
| Decomposers | smallest detritivores, include fungi and bacteria |
| Ecological pyramids | are used to show the relationship between trophic levels |
| Ecological efficiency | describes the proportion of energy represented at one trophic level that is transferred to the next level |
| Food chain | a linear flow chart of who eats whom |
| Food web | an expanded, more complex version of the food chain |
| Biogeochemical cycles | describes the flow of essential elements from the environment to living things and back to the environment |
| Reservoirs | the major storage locations for essential elements |
| Assimilation | the processes through which each element incorporates into terrestrial plants and animals |
| Release | the processes through which each element returns to the environment |
| Hyrologic cycle | water cycle |
| Carbon cycle | carbon is required for the building of all organic compounds |
| Nitrogen cycle | nitrogen is required for the manufacture of all animo acids to nucleic acids |
| Phosphorus cycle | phosphorus is requires for the manufacture of ATP and all nucleic acids |
| Biomes | exhibits common environmental characteristics |
| Tropical rain forests | are characterized by high temperature and heavy rainfall |
| Savannas | are grasslands with scattered trees, high temperatures |
| Temperate grasslands | receive less water and are subjected to lower temperatures than are savannas |
| Temperate deciduous forests | occupy regions that have warm summers , cold winters, and moderate precipitation |
| Deserts | hot and dry |
| Taigas | characterized by coniferous forests (pines firs and other trees with needles for leaves) |
| Tundras | subjected to winters so cold that the ground freezes |
| Permafrost | deeper soil |
| Fresh water biomes | include ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers |
| Marine biomes | include estuaries(where oceans meet rivers), intertidal zones(where oceans meet ponds), continental shelves( shallow oceans that border continents), coral reefs, and the pelagic ocean( deep oceans) |
Created by:
jnunez327
Popular Biology sets