Ecology Flashcards
how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment
organismal ecology
analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time
population ecology
examines how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization
community ecology
emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment
ecosystem ecology
focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
landscape ecology
examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere
global ecology
advocates the protection of nature
environmentalism
is not an advocate, just a study of the environment
ecology
nonliving factors such as chemical and physical factors
abiotic factors
living factors, such as all the organisms that are part of the individual’s environment
biotic factors
the movement of individuals away from their area of origin of from centers of high population density
dispersal
a narrow layer of abrupt temperature change that separates the more uniformly warm upper layer from more uniformly cold deeper waters
thermocline
where the oxygenated water from a lake’s surface goes to the bottom and the nutrient rich water from the bottom to the surface
turnover
lakes that are nutrient-poor and generally oxygen rich
oligotrophic lake
a lake that’s nutrient-rich and often depleted of oxygen
eutrophic lake
inundated by water at least some of the time
wetlands
most prominent physical characteristic is their current
streams and rivers
transition area b/t river and sea
estuary
periodically submerged and exposed by the tides, twice daily on most marine shores
intertidal zones
vast realm of open blue water, constantly mixed by wind-driven oceanic currents
ocean pelagic zone
formed largely from the calcium carbonate skeletons of corals
coral reef
consists of the seafloor below the surface waters of the coastal, or neritic, zone, and the offshore, pelagic zone
marine benthic zone
number of individuals per unit area of volume
density
the pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the population
dispersion
used to estimate the size of wildlife populations
Mark-recapture method
grouped together where food is abundant
clumped
maintained by aggressive interactions between neighbors
uniform
most plants use this pattern of dispersion
random
study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time
demography
age specific summaries of the survival pattern of a population
life tables
used to represent the data in a life table
survivorship curve
occurs when the per capita birth and death rates are equal
zero population growth
aka geometric population growth, all of the population has access to abundant food and is free to reproduce at its physiological capacity, J-shaped curve
exponential population growth
the maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain
carrying capacity
the per capita rate of increase, approaches zero as the carrying capacity is reached
logistic population growth
study that focuses on the complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors that cause variation in the size of populations
population dynamics
formed when a number of local populations are linked and are influenced by immigration and emigration
metapopulation
concept that summarizes the aggregate land and water area required by each person, city, or nation to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates; how humans affect the world biologically
ecological footprint
camouflage, makes prey hard to see
cryptic coloration
warning coloration
aposematic coloration
harmless species mimic an unpalatable or harmful model
Batesian mimicry
two or more unpalatable species resemble each other
mullerian mimicry
where an organism eats a plant or alga, +/-
herbivory
when two or more species live in direct and intimate contact with one another
symbiosis
scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
ecology
a parasite obtains nourishment from its host, +/-
parasitism
interactions between species benefit both participants, +/+
mutualism
only one member appears to benefit from the interaction, +/0
commensalism
competition
-/-
species in a community that are the most abundant or have the highest biomass
dominant species
organisms (typically introduced by humans) that take hold outside their native range
invasive species
exert strong control on community structure because of their pivotal ecological roles
keystone species
when an area that is disturbed and colonized by a variety of species is replaced by another species in a virtually lifeless area where soil has not yet formed (volcanic island)
primary succession
occurs when an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil intact (fire)
secondary succession
disease causing microorganisms that are transferred from other animals to humans either by direct contact or by means of an intermediate species
zoonotic pathogens
efforts to conserve biological diversity at all levels
conservation biology
applies ecological principles to return ecosystems that have been disturbed by human activity to a condition as similar as possible to their natural state
restoration ecology
one that is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range”
endangered species
those that are considered likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future
threatened species
