Community Composition Flashcards
What is primary succession?
The beginning of an ecosystem where the pioneer community starts to grow
What is ecological succession?
Process of change in species in an ecosystem
What is secondary succession?
The “re” building of an ecosystem
What are pioneer species?
The first species that start to grow in an area
What are seral stages?
The stages in between the pioneer stage and the climax community, the stages leading up to the final group
What is a climax community?
The final stage of an ecosystem (Most likely composed of trees)
What is species richness?
The # of species
What is species evenness?
How even the amount of each species is to the others in an area
What is genetic diversity?
The range of different inherited traits within a species
What is ecological diversity?
The variations in ecosystems
What are keystone species?
A species that many other species depends on
What are invasive species?
A new/introduced species that hurts the environment
What are the important differences between primary and secondary succession?
- Primary is the first time an ecosystem grows
- Secondary has either a natural or human cause that destroys the original climax community
How do keystone species affect biodiversity?
By maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem
How do invasive species affect biodiversity?
By causing the amount of variation of species to lessen due to the invasive species harming them
