Week #5 Flashcards
Start of Ecology
What is ecology?
Study of relationships between organisms and environment
What are the two types of ecology we are focusing on?
Organismal and Population
What is Organismal Ecology?
study of an organism’s relationship with its environment (biotic and abiotic)
What is Population Ecology?
study of interactions between members of same species
What are abiotic factors?
Non-living physical and chemical elements; Water, air, soil, sunlight, minerals
What are biotic factors?
Living organisms; Animals, plants, fungi, etc.
What are populations?
Groups of individuals of same species in one place
What are the 3 characteristics of populations?
Range / area; Pattern of spacing of individuals; Change in size through time
What are the two types of population regulation?
Density-dependent factors and density-independent factors
What are density-dependent factors?
- Predation, inter/intraspecific competition, accumulation of waste, diseases, etc.
- Usually, the denser a population is, the greater its mortality rate (negative feedback)
- often biotic
Ex. predator & prey
What are density-independent factors?
- weather, natural disasters, pollution, and other chemical/physical conditions
- Influence population no matter its density
- often abiotic
Ex. Darwin’s finches and drought
What are the 3 main processes used to study populations?
Demography; Population growth; Population dynamics
What is population demography?
Quantitative study of population growth and regulation, including the processes of birth, death, immigration, and emigration
Population growth is most influenced by the number of ____?
FEMALES!!!
What are generation times?
Average interval between birth of an individual and birth of its offspring
