Population, Community and Ecosystem Ecology Flashcards by Niño Marl Doliente

group of individuals of the same species that simultaneously occupy the same genera

Population

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How and why the population size change over time?

Input: Immigration and Birth
Output: Emigration and Death

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The influence of natality, immigration, mortality, and emigration of the population can be expressed as:

Nt = (B-D) + (I-E)

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What is density?

The number of individuals per unit area

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How do you measure density?

-Count
-Plots
-Indirect indicators/Index of Population Size
-Mark-recapture method

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Accurate when there are many sample plots and when the habitat is homogenous

Plots

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Number of nests or burrows, signs such as fecal droppings or track

Indirect indicators/index of population size

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Involves the marking of a number of individuals in a natural population, returning them to that population, subsequently recapturing some of them as a basis for estimating the size of the population

Mark-recapture method

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Mark-recapture method is first used by ______ in studies of marine fishes and by _______ in studies of waterfowl populations

C.J.G. Petersen and F.C. Lincoln

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Mark-recapture method is also known as ___________

Lincoln index or Petersen index

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What is the formula for mark-recapture method

N = (M*C)/R

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what is N = (M*C)/R

N = the estimated number of individuals in the population
M = the number of individuals that are initially captured and marked
C = the total number of individuals captured the second time
R = the number of individuals recaptured

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What are the 3 assumptions the mark-recapture method depends on?

the chance of each individual being caught is equal
The proportion of unmarked and marked remains constant
Population size does not increase nor decrease

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What are the patterns of distribution?

-Clumped
-Uniform
-Random

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Why study population ecology?

Scientific goal: understanding the factors that influence the size of populations

Practical goal: Management of populations

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It is the study of factors that affect the growth and decline of populations

Demography

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What are examples of demography?

-Age structure
-Generation time
-Sex ratio

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it is an age specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

Life tables

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It is a group of individuals of the same age

cohort

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What are examples of survivorship curves

types I, II, and III

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What is type I survivorship curve?

High death rate in post-reproductive years

ex: large mammals

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it is the constant mortality rate throughout life span

type II survivorship curve

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Very high early mortality but the few survivors then live long and stay reproductive

Type III survivorship curve

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limits the population growth based on the size or density of a given population

Density dependent factors

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What causes intraspecific competition?

food, mates, nesting sites, etc.

limit population growth based on factors independent of population density. abiotic factors, chance

Density Independent factors

what are examples of population growth models?

exponential and logistic growth model

This model calculates the maximum rate and displays it as a J-shaped curve (because there are no limits)

Exponential growth model

This model produces an S-shaped curve. As population reaches the carrying capacity, the growth slows and then stops

Logistic growth model

Is the maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain

Carrying capacity

What are examples of reproductive strategies?

r and K specialist

These are equilibrial populations. Those who lives in stable environments and their population fluctuate near to carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

K specialists

What are some characteristics of K specialists?

-long life expectancy - large body size -high parental care -fewer offspring -Type I or Type II Survivorship curve

These are opportunistic populations. Those individuals which resides in an unstable environment and shows exponential growth pattern

r specialists

Characteristics of r specialists

-can have many offsprings -short life span - high mortality among young -exhibits a J shaped growth curve -little to no parental care

Formula for growth rate

r = b-d where r = growth rate b = birth rate d = death rate

What curve leads to a crash in population?

J-curves

Why does J-curves result to a crash in population?

-reduced food -less places to live and breed

Examples for density depending factors

-competition for resources -lack of territory -disease and parasitism -predation

it is the number of organisms an ecosystem can support indefinitely

Carrying Capacity

it is a group of populations of different species that live in the same area and interact with each other

Community

is the study of how species interact with each other and their environment, including the distribution, structure, and abundance of species.

Community ecology

Community ecology is also known as

synecology

they study the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors such as food webs and competition

Community ecologist

what are examples of interspecific interactions

-competition -predation -parasitism -mutualism -commensalism

This interaction is detrimental to both species

competition (-/-)

This interaction is beneficial to one species and detrimental to the other

Predation and Parasitism (+/-)

This interaction is beneficial to both species

Mutualism (+/+)

One species benefits from the interaction but the other is unaffected

Commensalism (+/0)

Two species competing for the same limiting resources cannot coexist in the same place

The competitive exclusion principle

who came up with The competitive exclusion principle

Georgy Gause

It is the sum of a species use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

Ecological Niche

Is the ideal conditions in which a species can survive and reproduce

Fundamental Niche

Is the actual conditions a species occupies in the real world, after taking into account competition and other factors

Realized niche

this ecologist studied two barnacle species

Joseph Connell

is a natural selection process that allows species to coexist by dividing resources and avoiding competition

Resource partitioning

Resource partitioning is also known as:

Niche differentiation

is an evolutionary process that occurs when two similar species that share a habitat evolve to reduce competition for resources

Character displacement

groups from an ancestral population evolve into separate species due to a period of geographical separation

allopatric speciation

groups from the same ancestral population evolve into separate species without any geographical separation

sympatric speciation

what are some plant defenses

-physical: thorns and spines -chemical: poisons

What are some animal defenses

-physical: shells, horns/antlers, teeth -chemical: poisons, odors

-hiding -fleeing -defending themselves against predators -direction displays

Passive defenses

this type of coloration makes the prey difficult to spot

Cryptic coloration

other term for cryptic coloration

camouflage

this type of coloration serve as a warning to other animals

aposematic coloration

this type of coloration makes animals resemble larger animals

Deceptive coloration

a harmless species imitates the warning signals of harmful species to avoid predators (a type of mimicry)

batesian mimicry

is a type of mimicry in which one or more species develop a similar appearance. Each of the speciesis either poisonous, dangerous, or unpalatable to predators

Mullerian mimicry

these are parasites that live inside the body of a host, can cause severe disease

endoparasites

are parasites that infest the outer surface of their hosts

ectoparasites

a type of parasitism where an organism, called a parasitoid, lives in close association with a host, feeding on the host's tissues, and eventually killing the host

parasitoidism

is the variety of organisms that make up the community

Species diversity

Components of species diversity

Species richness and Relative abundance

is the total number of different species in the community

Species richness

is the proportion each species represents of the total individuals in the community

relative abundance

diversity can be compared using

diversity indices

these species are the most abundant or collectively have the highest biomass

Dominant species

Dominant species exert powerful control over the _______ and ________ of other species

occurence and distribution

In contrast to dominant species, these type of species are not necessarily abundant in a community

Keystone species

they exert strong control on a community by their ecological roles or niches

keystone species

Organisms that change their physical environment or the availability of resources for other species, which can have a big impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

Foundation species

also called as ecosystem engineers

foundation species

are considered the “base” or “bedrock” of a community, having the greatest influence on its overall structure. They are usually the primary producers: organisms that bring most of the energy into the community.

Foundation species

– Is an event that changes a community – Removes organisms from a community – Alters resource availability

disturbance

– Suggests that moderate levels of disturbance can foster higher species diversity than low levels of disturbances

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis

is a process of change in the species make up a community

Ecological succession

– Occurs where no soil exists when succession begins – succession starts with a pioneers species colonising bare bed rock or sand

primary succession

species, such as lichen, are adapted to survive in harsh abiotic factors and through their death and decomposition change the abiotic factors to become less harsh and form a thin layer of soil, humus.

Pioneer species

The final stage in a succession is known as the

climax community

- The succesion is disrupted and plants are destroyed - Succession starts again, but the soil is already created, so it not start from the bare rock seral stage.

Secondary succession

other term for secondary natural succession of pioneer species

autoregeneration

– May facilitate the appearance of later species by making the environment more favorable – May inhibit establishment of later species – May tolerate later species but have no impact on their establishment

Early-arriving species

succession regenerates or creates a community after a ____

disturbance

two types of succession

primary and secondary succession

started by pioneer species

primary succession

started by remaining species

secondary succession

Two key factor correlated with a community's species diversity

geographic location and size

Two key factors in equitorial-polar gradients of species richness

evolutionary history and climate

species richness is great in the ___

Tropics

is the likely primary cause of latitudinal gradient in biodiversity

climate

two climatic factors correlated with biodiversity

solar energy input and water availability

quantifies the idea that all other factors being equal, the larger the geographic area of a community, the greater the number of species

Species-area curve/relationship

Species-area curve/relationship formula

S = CA^z where S=number of species C=fitted constant A=area of the island z=fitted constant

S = CA^z is often presented in linear form:

log(v10) S = log (v10) C + zlog (v10) A

Communities with higher diversity are:

• More productive and more stable in their productivity • Better able to withstand and recover from environmental stresses • More resistant to invasive species, organisms that become established outside their native range

Population, Community and Ecosystem Ecology Flashcards

(106 cards)