Ecology POPULATIONS vocab

Question 1

biotic

Answer 1

living organism

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment

Question 2

abiotic

Answer 2

nonliving

Question 3

hierarchy

Answer 3

organism –> population –> community –> ecosystem –> landscape –> biosphere

Question 4

population

Answer 4

a group of individuals of the same species living in the same general area

Question 5

community

Answer 5

a group of populations of different species in an area

Question 6

ecosystem

Answer 6

community of organisms + physical factors

Question 7

population ecology

Answer 7

explores how biotic and abiotic factors influence density, distribution, and size of populations

Question 8

community ecology

Answer 8

how interactions between different species affect community organization

Question 9

ecosystem ecology

Answer 9

emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment, takes living and nonliving components into consideration

Question 10

global ecology

Answer 10

examines how regional exchanges of energy and what materials influence the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

Question 11

where species occur acrosss the biosphere (distribution) is influenced by

Answer 11

climate; biotic factors

Question 12

population density

Answer 12

of individuals / area ;

Question 13

population dispersion

Answer 13

pattern of spacing between individuals

Question 14

population size is determined by

Answer 14

birth, death, migration

Question 15

clumped pattern

Answer 15

near required resource; increases effectiveness of predation/attack; spread in patches; may be associated with breeding, location of food, mating

Question 16

uniform pattern

Answer 16

result of antagonistic interactions; evenly spaces; uncommon; compete for resources

Question 17

random pattern

Answer 17

unpredictable spacing; uncommon; occurs in absence of strong attractions; plants distributed by wind blown seeds

Question 18

demography

Answer 18

study of vital statistics of populations and how they change over timel

Question 19

life table

Answer 19

age specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

Question 20

type I curve

Answer 20

low death rate in early life ; humans, large mammals

Question 21

type II curve

Answer 21

constant death rate over lifespan (straight line; plants, invertebrates)

Question 22

type III

Answer 22

high death rate early in life (associated with organisms that produce large # of offspring but provide little to no care)

Question 23

change in population size formula

Answer 23

dN/dt = B - D

Question 24

biotic potential

Answer 24

maximum rate at which the population could increase, assuming ideal conditions that allow a maximum birth rate and minimum death rate

Question 25

environmental resistance

Answer 25

limits set by the environment such as availability of food, space, competition, predation, parasitismp

Question 26

per capita growth rate (r)

Answer 26

measure of the change in population size per average individual per unit of time (B - D ) = r

Question 27

exponential growth

Answer 27

pattern of continuously rapid increase in population size; J shaped curve; population has access to all necessary resources, under ideal conditions, per capita rate of increase at max rate

Question 28

exponential growth equation

Answer 28

dN/dT = rN (change in population = growth rate x population size)

Question 29

logistic model

Answer 29

inocorporates carrying capacity; dN/dT = rN [(K-N)/K]

Question 30

biotic potential is influenced by

Answer 30

age/frequency of reproduction; average # of offspring produced; length of reproductive lifespan; death rate of individuals

Question 31

life history

Answer 31

traits that affect an organism’s schedule of reproduction and survival (evolutionary outcomes, not copious designs)

Question 32

variables of life history

Answer 32

age of sexual maturation; how often organism reproduces; # of offspring produced per reproductive episode

Question 33

K-selection

Answer 33

population close to carrying capacity; slow-no population growth, at or near carrying capacity, stable environment, produce few young, late loss curve, competition limits popualation size; high prenatal care, low birth #, density dependent

Question 34

R selection

Answer 34

maximize reproductive successors; large # offspring, early loss, unstable environment, limited by density independent factors, exponential growth, no carrying capacity, little to no care for young, high birth numbers

Question 35

density dependent factors

Answer 35

population matters, influenced by species population size; predation, disease, competition, territoriality

Question 36

density independent factors

Answer 36

population doesn’t matter; abiotic, environmental, natural disasters, human activity, birth and death rate don’t change

Question 37

boom and bust cycles

Answer 37

populations characterized by rapid growth followed by sudden massive die-off