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AP Biology- Ecology Terms Set 2
Vocabulary in the ecology unit of an AP biology course.
50
Biology
12th Grade
09/18/2010

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Term
big-bang reproduction
Definition
A life history in which adults have but a single reproductive opportunity to produce large numbers of offspring, such as the life history of the Pacific salmon; also known as semelparity.
Term
carrying capacity
Definition
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as K.
Term
clumped
Definition
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are aggregated in patches.
Term
cohort
Definition
A group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead.
Term
demographic transition
Definition
A shift from zero population growth in which birth rates and death rates are high to zero population growth characterized instead by low birth and death rates.
Term
demography
Definition
The study of statistics relating to births and deaths in populations.
Term
density
Definition
The number of individuals per unit area or volume.
Term
density dependent
Definition
Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density.
Term
density independent
Definition
Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density.
Term
dispersion
Definition
The pattern of spacing among individuals within geographic population boundaries.
Term
ecological capacity
Definition
The actual resource base of a country.
Term
ecological footprint
Definition
A method to use multiple constraints to estimate the human carrying capacity of Earth by calculating the aggregate land and water area in various ecosystem categories that is appropriated by a nation to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates.
Term
emigration
Definition
The movement of individuals out of a population.
Term
exponential population growth
Definition
The geometric increase of a population as it grows in an ideal, unlimited environment.
Term
immigration
Definition
The influx of new individuals from other areas.
Term
infant mortality
Definition
The number of infant deaths per 1, 000 live births.
Term
iteroparity
Definition
A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as repeated reproduction.
Term
K-selection
Definition
The concept that in certain (K-selected) populations, life history is centered around producing relatively few offspring that have a good chance of survival.
Term
life expectancy at birth
Definition
The predicted average length of life at birth.
Term
life history
Definition
The series of events from birth through reproduction and death.
Term
life table
Definition
A table of data summarizing mortality in a population.
Term
logistic population growth
Definition
A model describing population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.
Term
mark-recapture method
Definition
A sampling technique used to estimate wildlife populations.
Term
meta-population
Definition
A subdivided population of a single species.
Term
population
Definition
A localized group of individuals that belong to the same biological species (that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile A localized group of individuals that belong to the same biological species (that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring).
Term
population dynamics
Definition
The study of how complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influence variations in population size.
Term
population ecology
Definition
The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size.
Term
random
Definition
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are spaced in a patternless, unpredictable way.
Term
repeated reproduction
Definition
A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as iteroparity.
Term
reproductive table
Definition
An age-specific summary of the reproductive rates in a population.
Term
r-selection
Definition
The concept that in certain (r-selected) populations, a high reproductive rate is the chief determinant of life history.
Term
semelparity
Definition
A life history in which adults have but a single reproductive opportunity to produce large numbers of offspring, such as the life history of the Pacific salmon; also known as big-bang reproduction.
Term
survivorship curve
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
territoriality
Definition
A behavior in which an animal defends a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals, usually of its own species. Territory defense may involve direct aggression or indirect mechanisms such as scent marking or singing.
Term
uniform
Definition
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are evenly distributed.
Term
zero population growth (ZPG)
Definition
A period of stability in population size, when the per capita birth rate and death rate are equal.
Term
aposematic coloration
Definition
The bright coloration of animals with effective physical or chemical defenses that acts as a warning to predators.
Term
Batesian mimicry
Definition
A type of mimicry in which a harmless species looks like a species that is poisonous or otherwise harmful to predators.
Term
biomanipulation
Definition
A technique for restoring eutrophic lakes that reduces populations of algae by manipulating the higher-level consumers in the community rather than by changing nutrient levels or adding chemical treatments.
Term
biomass
Definition
The dry weight of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a particular habitat.
Term
bottom-up model
Definition
A model of community organization in which mineral nutrients control community organization because nutrients control plant numbers, which in turn control herbivore numbers, which in turn control predator numbers.
Term
character displacement
Definition
The tendency for characteristics to be more divergent in sympatric populations of two species than in allopatric populations of the same two species.
Term
character displacement
Definition
The tendency for characteristics to be more divergent in sympatric populations of two species than in allopatric populations of the same two species.
Term
coevolution
Definition
The mutual evolutionary influence between two different species interacting with each other and reciprocally influencing each other’s adaptations.
Term
commensalism
Definition
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is neither helped nor harmed.
Term
community
Definition
All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.
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
cryptic coloration
Definition
Camouflage, making potential prey difficult to spot against its background.
Term
disturbance
Definition
A force that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms
from it. Disturbances, such as fire and storms, play pivotal roles in structuring many biological communities.
Term
dominant species
Definition
Those species in a community that have the highest abundance or highest biomass. These species exert a powerful control over the occurrence and distribution of other species.
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