Final Flashcards
What is a community?
A collection of populations of different species occupying a particular habitat
What do all organisms require?
- a net increase in energy
- materials from the environment
What are the 2 ways organisms interact when getting resources?
- predation
- competition
What is competition?
Interactions where 2 or more species require the same resources (matter,energy, or space)
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
2 species with identical ecological requirements can not coexist indefinitely
-one species will go extinct while the other will utilize all of the resources
What is spatial separation?
The species’ involved have evolved to use resource in another place
- both species win
- MacArthur’s warbler–use the same resource but in different places
What is temporal separation?
When 2 different species utilize the same resource but at different times
What is resource separation?
When species differ in the type of the resource that they are able to utilize
-Darwin’s finches with seed size
What is a niche?
A description of all resources required (or potentially utilized) by a species
What is a fundamental niche?
A description of all of the resources that the organism had adapted to potentially utilize
What is a realized niche?
The portion of the fundamental niche that remains after competition (a fraction of fundamental niche space or equal to depending on the competing species)
-barnacle example
What are the 3 potential outcomes of species in relation to their niches?
- competition coexistence
- extinction
- coexistence bc population never reaches competition levels
What is predation?
Interaction where one species consumes another
-predators eat what they can without getting hurt
What does it mean if the reproduction number is averaged (including all males, females, dead or alive) and it equals 1?
The population is staying the same
What does it mean if the reproduction number is averaged (including all males, females, dead or alive) and it is more than 1?
The population is growing
What does it mean if the reproduction number is averaged (including all males, females, dead or alive) and it is less than 1?
The population is shrinking
What is a discrete generation?
When all of the individuals are born and die in the same time period
What are overlapping (continuous) generations?
When no “generation” is exactly the same
What type of generation predicts exponential growth?
Both discrete and overlapping generations
What happens as you reach the carrying capacity?
The death rate goes up as resources diminish
When trying to exterminate a species, instead of trying to reduce death/birth rate, you should instead do what?
Decrease the carrying capacity
What is competition?
When 2 or more species compete for the same limiting resource
-each individual is lowering the carrying capacity for the other species
What is age structure?
Some individuals are pre-reproductive and some are post-reproductive
What type of growth is common for the Earth?
Rapid growth
What type of growth does the U.S. have?
Slow growth
At what point are species’ maximized?
The intermediate point (liberation of resources)
