Ecology 2 Flashcards
In 1840 __________ proposed that the single factor in shortest supply relative to demand is the critical determinant in species distribution.
Justus von Liebig
Ecologist _________ later expanded this principle of limiting factors by stating that each environmental factors has both minimum and maximum levels, called tolerance limits,
Victor Shelford
states that, for every environmental factor, an organism has both maximum and minimum levels beyond which it cannot survive.
principle of tolerance limits
is when species acquire traits that allow them allow them to survive in their environment, is one of the most important concepts in biology.
Adaptation
In some cases, behaviors such as when and where population members feed, sleep; or mate, even how they communicate, may separate them sufficiently known as separation into new types.
divergent evolution
produce very different organisms from a common origin, but it can also cause unrelated organisms to look and act very much alike. We call this latter process___?
convergent evolution.
describes the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
Habitat
is a description of either the role played by a species in a biological community or the total set of environmental factors that determine species distribution.
ecological niche
states that no two species will occupy the same niche and compete for exactly the same resources in the same habitat for very long.
law of competitive exclusion
When different organism in one ecosystem split up an area so they will minimizes competition
Resource partitioning
are species that grow rapidly where you don’t want them.
Weeds
is any organism that feeds directly upon another living organism, whether or not it kills its prey to do so.
predator
whereas competition between members of different species is called____?
interspecific competition
Competition among members of the same species is called___?
intraspecific competition
is the intimate living together of members of two or more species.
Symbiosis
is a type of symbiosis in which one member clearly benefits and the other apparently is neither benefited nor harmed.
Commensalism
are a combination of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, either an alga or a cyanobacteria.
Lichens
Is a type of symbiosis in which both members of the partnership benefits
Mutualism
species that actually are harmless evolve colors, patterns, or body shapes that mimic unpalatable or poisonous species which is called ____?.
Batesian mimicry
is another way were species have evolved amazing abilities like insects that look exactly a dead leaves or twigs to hide from predators. While there are also predators _____ to hide as lie in wait for their prey.
Camouflage
is a species or group of species whose impact on its community or ecosystem is much larger and more influential than would be expected from mere abundance.
keystone species
We call the unrestricted increase in population ___________ because its rate can be expressed as a constant fraction, or exponent, by which existing population is multiplied.
exponential growth
We call the maximum number of individuals of any species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a sustainable basis the ______?
carrying capacity
These species may grow exponentially when resources are unlimited, but their growth slows as they approach carrying capacity of the environment. This pattern is called ________ because of its constantly changing rate.
logistic growth
They tend to have rapid reproduction and high mortality of offspring, and they may frequently overshoot carrying capacity and die back.
r-adapted species
organisms tend to reproduce more slowly as they approach the carrying capacity (K) of their environment. These species are referred to as ____?
K-adapted species
these limits are dependent on population density. Food and water, for example, become more limited as population grow. Disease, stress, and exposure to predators or parasites can all increase mortality rates as population increase. These factors are called ______?.
density-dependent
is an expression of the number of individuals of a species in an area.
Abundance
is the number of different species in an area.
Diversity
in ecological terms refers to the number of species at each trophic level and the number of trophic levels in a community.
Complexity
refers to pattern of spatial distribution of individuals and populations within a community, as well as the relation of a particular community to its surroundings
Ecological structure
Ecologist call the boundaries between adjacent communities a ________ that are often rich in species diversity because individuals from both environments occupy the boundary area.
Ecotones
the environmental and biotic conditions on the edges, may extend hundreds of meters into a forest fragment.
Edge effects
occurs when a community begins to develop on a site previously unoccupied by living organisms, such as an island, a sand or silt bed, a body of water, or a new volcanic flow.
Primary succession
occurs when an existing community is disrupted and a new one subsequently develops at the site.
Secondary succession
A process of environmental modification by organisms ecological development or facilitation.
Ecological development
organisms not normally occurring in a particular location that invade and disrupt the local community.
invasive species
