Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Ecology Flashcards
N/A
63
Biology
12th Grade
02/21/2011

Additional Biology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Age structure
Definition
The relative number of individuals of each age in a population.
Term
Carrying capacity
Definition
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as K.
Term
Census
Definition
a usually complete enumeration of a population
Term
Clumped distribution
Definition
where there a certain areas of the population that have a greater density of the given organism than other places
Term
Communities
Definition
All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.
Term
Density-dependent limitation
Definition
Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density.
Term
Density-independent limitation
Definition
Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density.
Term
Dispersion
Definition
The pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the geographic population.
Term
Ecosystems
Definition
All the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them.
Term
Emigration
Definition
The movement of individuals out of a population.
Term
Exponential growth curve
Definition
Growth of a population in an ideal, unlimited environment, represented by a J-shaped curve when population size is plotted over time.
Term
interspecific competition
Definition
Competition for resources between individuals of two or more species when resources are in short supply
Term
intraspecific competition
Definition
competition for resources between individuals of the same species
Term
Intrinsic rate of increase
Definition
The difference between the number of births and the number of deaths, symbolized as rmax; the maximum population growth rate.
Term
k-selected species
Definition
Selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density; also called density-dependent selection
Term
Life span
Definition
the amount of time that an organism can live
Term
Logistic growth curve
Definition
Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.
Term
Maximum sustained yield
Definition
the largest yield (or catch) that can be taken from a species' stock over an indefinite period
Term
Mortality
Definition
Death rate.
Term
Natality
Definition
Birth rate
Term
Population characteristics
Definition
the characteristics of a population
Term
Populations
Definition
A localized group of individuals of the same species that can interbreed, producing fertile offspring.
Term
R- selected species
Definition
Selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded environments; also called density-independent selection
Term
Random distribution
Definition
where the density of a population is random and has no pattern
Term
Size
Definition
the number of organisms in a population
Term
Survivorship curves
Definition
A plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality
Term
immigration
Definition
migration into a place
Term
Uniform distribution
Definition
a uniform density of the population across a given area
Term
Zero population growth
Definition
A period of stability in population size, when the per capita birth rate and death rate are equal.
Term
Competitive exclusion
Definition
The concept that when populations of two similar species compete for the same limited resources, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other population.
Term
Habitat
Definition
The place in which individuals of a particular species can usually be found.
Term
Niche
Definition
The sum total of an organism's utilization of the biotic and abiotic resources of its environment.
Term
Niche separation
Definition
the process by which natural selection drives competing species into different patterns of resource use or different niches
Term
Species diversity
Definition
The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.
Term
Commensalism
Definition
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is neither helped nor harmed.
Term
Mimicry
Definition
A phenomenon in which one species benefits by a superficial resemblance to an unrelated species. A predator or species of prey may gain a significant advantage through mimicry.
Term
Mutualism
Definition
A symbiotic relationship in which both participants benefit.
Term
Parasitism
Definition
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of another, the host, by living either within or on the host.
Term
Predation
Definition
An interaction between species in which one species, the predator, eats the other, the prey.
Term
Climax community
Definition
a biological community of plants and animals which, through the process of ecological succession — the development of vegetation in an area over time — has reached a steady state
Term
Pioneer communities
Definition
The initial rapid colonizer species are the pioneer community
Term
Primary succession
Definition
A type of ecological succession that occurs in an area where there were originally no organisms present and where soil has not yet formed.
Term
Secondary succession
Definition
A type of succession that occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil or substrate intact.
Term
Seral stages
Definition
the stages of ecological succession of a plant community, for example, from young stage to old stage; the characteristic sequence of biotic communities that successively occupy and replace each other, altering in the process some components of the physical environment over time.
Term
Sere
Definition
an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its climax community
Term
Succession
Definition
more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community
Term
List the 5 properties of populations
Definition
Size, Density, Dispersion, Survivorship Curves and Age Structure Diagrams
Term
Describe the three types of survivorship curves.
Definition
Type 1- low death rates in young, high death rates in the old ex: humans.
Type 2- a constant death rate ex: reptiles.
Type 3- high death rates in young, death rates decline once a certain age is reached ex: no parenting organisms like fish, invertebrates
Term
sampling technique
Definition
a strategy used by scientists to estimate the number of individuals in a population
Term
mark and recapture method
Definition
organisms are captured, tagged and then released. later the process is repeated and the following formula is used for the collected data: N= (number marked in first catch) X (total number in second catch) / number of recaptures in second catch
Term
mark and recapture method
Definition
organisms are captured, tagged and then released. later the process is repeated and the following formula is used for the collected data: N= (number marked in first catch) X (total number in second catch) / number of recaptures in second catch
Term
biotic potential
Definition
maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions
Term
competitive exclusion principle
Definition
if two species share a niche they will automatically compete
Term
G.F. Cause
Definition
Russian scientist who developed the competitive exclusion principle
Term
resource partitioning
Definition
when two species compete for resources and one of the species evolves through natural selection to exploit different resources
Term
character displacement
Definition
a divergence in body structure to avoid competition ex: Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands
Term
Aposematic coloration
Definition
very bright coloration of poisonous animals as a warning that possible predators should avoid them
Term
Batesian mimicry
Definition
copycat coloration, one harmless animal mimics the coloration of a poisonous one ex: viceroy butterfly and the monarch butterfly
Term
Mullerian mimicry
Definition
two or more poisonous species resemble each other and gain an advantage from their combined numbers ex: cuckoo bee and yellow jacket
Term
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
Definition
the amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis per unit time
Term
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
Definition
equal to the GPP minus the energy used by producers for their own cellular respiration
Term
biological magnification
Definition
organisms at higher trophic levels have greater concentrations of accumulated toxins stored in their bodies than those at lower trophic levels ex: Bald Eagle and DDT
Term
Permafrost
Definition
permanently frozen subsoil
Supporting users have an ad free experience!