Ch. 8 Key Terms Flashcards
Population
the set of individuals within a species living in the same place at the same time
Density
the number of individuals of the same species that live in a given unit of area or volume
Dispersion
the arrangement/pattern of distribution of a population’s individuals in space (even, clumped, or random)
Growth rate
the birth rate minus the death rate; the increase in size of an organism or population over a given period of time (+, -, or 0)
Reproductive potential
the maximum offspring that a given organism can produce
Exponential growth
growth in which numbers increase by a certain factor in each successive time period (ex. 6 –> 36 –> 216)
Carrying capacity
the largest population that an environment can support at any given time
Niche
the unique role occupied by a species, both in terms of its physical use of its habitat and its function within an ecological community
Competition
a relationship in which different individuals or populations attempt to use the same limited resource such that both are negatively affected
Predation
an interaction involving a predator (eating prey) and prey (eaten by predator)
Parasitism
a relationship between a parasite and its host (good for parasite, bad for host)
Mutualism
a relationship between two species in which both species benefit (good for both)
Commensalism
a relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected (good for one species, indifferent to the other)
Symbiosis
a relationship involving two organisms living in close association
Generation time
that average age that members of a species reproduce
