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Definition
| study of interactions b/w organisms and the environment |
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| groups of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time |
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| how individuals interact with one another, influencing population numbers and distribution |
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| statistical characterization of a populations; size, age structure, density and distribution |
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| # of individuals in a population |
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| # of individuals with in a certain age categories |
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| the individuals per unit area |
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| how the individuals are spread out in a given area |
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| Population size and growth |
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Definition
immigration & birth add individuals
emigration & deaths subtract individuals |
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Definition
growth rate (G); per capita rate (r); population size (N)
G=rN |
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| per capita rate of growth in a population is the difference between birth and death rates |
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Definition
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Definition
| population increases in size by the same proportion of its total in each successive interval |
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| If r>0, exponential growth occur (exponential growth can rapidly lead to large populations |
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Definition
| population grows exponentially as long as per capita death rates are lower than per capita birth rates |
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| Limits on the growth of population |
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Definition
1.As populations increase in size, competition for resources limit the number of individuals the environment can support.
2.Any essential resource that is in short supply: food, nesting sites, water
3.All limiting factors acting on a population dictate sustainable population size |
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Definition
the maximum # of individuals that can be sustained in a particular habitat
G=rN [K-N/K] |
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Definition
| Population growth pattern. Occurs when populations size is limited by carrying capacity |
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Definition
1.Population may temporarily increase above carrying capacity
2.Excuses individuals, however, may alter the carrying capacity of the environment
3.Overshoot is usually followed by a crash; dramatic increase in deaths
4.Altered environments, altered carrying capacity |
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| 2 categories of limiting factors |
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Definition
1.Density dependent factors: crowding & competition
2.Density independent factors: Natural disasters and strong environment change |
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Definition
Of a species pattern of when and how many offspring are produced during a typical lifetime
1.Patterns of timing of reproduction and surviorship
2.Very among species
3.Summarized in survivorship curves and life tables |
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Definition
Survivorship curves graph age-specific surviorship
1. Type I (k-selected)
2. Type II
3. Type II (r-selected) |
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| Life history patterns influence different reproductive strategies |
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Definition
r-selected species are characterized by high fecundity, high morality, short life span
k-selected species are characterized by lower fecundity, lower mortality, & longer life span |
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| Knowing how populations can grow helps develop management plans |
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| Populations of different species living together |
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| All species living in the same place. Can interact in complex way. Ex: Brood parasitism-oropendolas, cowbirds, botflies, wasps |
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Definition
1.Interacting species, within a defined area
2.The scale b/w biomes & population
3.Look @ species interactions as a = or - for the species involved |
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Definition
| -interacting species often have reciprocal adaptations -coevolution involves genetically-based adaptations that allow a species to interact with another |
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Term
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Definition
Commensalism
Mutualism
Competition
Predation
Parasitism |
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Definition
-one species benefit, the other is unaffected
-many population ecologists dispute whether any symbiotic relationship (living together) can be totally w/out impact |
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Definition
-both species benefit
-some are obligatory; patterns depend upon each other
-Yucca plants & yucca moth |
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Definition
-interspecific competition occurs when 2 or more species utilize the same limiting resource
-competition generally harms both parties involved |
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Definition
| the resources used by an organism & the environmental conditions needed (food, shelter, nutrients, light, temperature, etc) |
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| Fundamental vs. Realized Niches |
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Definition
| where niches overlap, competition may occur |
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-interference
-exploitative |
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| direct harm of another species |
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Definition
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| how we observe competition |
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Definition
1.Resource partitioning
2.Character displacement
3.Removal experiments |
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| Predatory-prey interactions |
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Definition
| species abundance is limited by the other |
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Definition
as predator and prey coevolve, interesting adaptations can arise for both
Prey defenses
Camouflage
Mimicry (bees)
warning coloration
Predator responses
Behavioral changes
Camouflage |
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Definition
| predators can evolve counter measures to prey defenses mouse& beetle (sting though butt) |
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Definition
-one species benefits; other is harmed
-different forms of parasitism
->insect planting eggs in spider |
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Definition
1. Changes over time
2. Primary succession
3. Secondary succession |
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Definition
| the colonization of barren habitat |
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Definition
| the recovery of disturbed area |
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Definition
-Organisms that are the 1st colonizers of an area
-characterized by high dispersal, fast maturation, many offspring |
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| Factors Affecting succession |
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Definition
Old News
1. Climax community
2. grasses->shrubs->pines->oaks
Modern view
1. Physical factors
2. chance events
3. intermediate disturbance hypothesis |
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Definition
| Because communities are such an intricate balance of species, the composition and abundance of species, the composition & abundance of specie are important for determining the community structure |
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Definition
| some species have a greater impact on the community than its abundance would suggest |
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Definition
| species whose effect in the community is disproportionate to their abundance |
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Definition
| exotic or introduced species upset delicate community balance: the vine that ate the South--> Kuduzu overgrowing native flora. Kuduza vines can grow 200 ft per year Kuduzu |
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Term
| Global Ecology (The Biosphere) |
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Definition
| explores the physical processes that determines the distribution of organisms across the globe |
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Definition
-sum total of places in which organisms live
-encompasses the entire earth
-the distribution of organisms (biogeography) is affected by: Geologic history, topography, climate, other species |
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Definition
| A subdivision of a biogeographic realm; usually described in terms of the dominant plants; e.g., tropical broad-leaf forest, grassland, tundra. |
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Definition
| is largely determined by climatic factors, and these climactic factors are determined by the physical processes of the earth |
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Definition
| high latitudes receive less energy from solar radiation b/c the same energy must pass through more atmosphere, and is distributed over a larger area due to the curvature of the earth |
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Definition
| the earth's tilt is responsible for the season |
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Definition
| Northern hemisphere is mots tilted towards sun; has its longest days |
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| Autumn equinox (September) |
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Definition
| Sun's direct rays fall on equator; length of day equal that of night |
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Definition
| Northern hemisphere is most tilted away from sun; shortest days |
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Definition
| Sun's direct rays fall on equator; length of day equal that of night |
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Definition
-Strong solar radiation at the equator drives temperatures higher, which cause high humidity
-The air at the equator arises
-At high altitudes, the air cools, and releases its moisture and travels both North and South
-At 30 degrees N and S latitude, the air sinks bringing dry air to those latitudes |
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| Warmed by energy from the sun |
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Definition
air at the equator picks up moisture and rises.
It reaches a high altitude, and spreads North and South |
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| As the airflows towards higher altitude |
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Definition
| it cools and looses moisture as rain. At around 30 degrees N & S latitude, the air sinks and flows N & S along Earth's surface |
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| Air rises again at 60 degree N & S |
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Definition
| where air flowing forward meets air coming from the poles |
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Definition
| cold air sinks and moves toward lower latitudes |
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| Major winds near Earth's surface do not blow directly N & S because of Earth's rotation |
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Definition
| Wind deflect to the right of the original direction in the Northern hemisphere and to the left in Southern hemisphere |
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Term
| Air moving from 30 degrees South toward the equator is deflected to the left (west) |
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Definition
| as the southeast trade winds. The winds are named by the direction from which the blow |
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Definition
| Solar radiation and air circulation are responsible for global patterns of precipitation |
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Definition
| patterns in air circulation drive surface currents |
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Definition
The earth's rotation cause both air and water to "bend," forming gyres of air and water circulation
-effect drives major gyres |
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| distributes thermal energy around the globe |
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| air rises on the windward side, loses moisture before passing over the mountain |
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| a veretation type plus its associated fauna |
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Definition
Tropical forests
Savannas
Deserts
Chaparral
Temperature grasslands
Temperate deciduous forests
Evergreen Coniferous forests
Tundra |
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Definition
| high temperature and precipitation, species-rich, nutrient poor |
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Definition
| grasslands with scattered trees. semi-arid with long periods of drought devoid of rain |
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Definition
| Biome of areas where evaporation greatly exceeds rainfall, where soil is thin and vegetation sparse. |
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Definition
| Coastal biome dominated by dense, woody shrubs & trees that re-sprout after periodic fires. Occurs where winters are mild and wet and summers hot and dry. Mediterranean climates |
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Term
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Definition
Biome dominated by grasses and other nonwoody plants; common in interiors of continents with warm summers, cool winters, recurring fires, and 25–100 centimeters of rain.
Not to hot; Not to cold. Grows where winters are cold, summers are warm, and rainfall is moderate |
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Term
| Temperate deciduous forests |
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Definition
| lose leaves in winter. Grow at middle latitudes with abundant rainfall. Summer green |
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Term
| Evergreen coniferous forests |
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Definition
Biome between latitudes 10º north and south of the equator with rainfall averages of 130 to 200 centimeters each year; tropical rain forest.
boreal forest (Taiga). Doesn't lose leaves during winter |
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Term
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Definition
| Northmost biome; plants grow in shallow topsoil over a layer of permafrost. Brief growing season; winter winds cause tundra plants to be very short. Soil is frozen. Likens dominate plants-fungi |
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Definition
Fresh water-->streams, rivers, lakes
Ocean-->estuaries, coastal, open ocean |
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Definition
| bodies of standing water that accumulate in basins. Fed by rainfall and streams and rivers that drain surrounding watersheds |
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Definition
| extends around the shore to a debt where rooted aquatic plants stop growing |
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| is the open waters where light penetrates and photosynthesis occurs |
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| below that lies that cool, dark profundal zone, where derital food chains predominate |
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Definition
| An association of organisms and their physical environment, interconnected by on going flow of energy and a cycling of materials. Explores the movement of energy and nutrients through organisms and their physical environment |
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Definition
-primary producers
-consumers
-detritovers and decomposers |
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Definition
| are the autotrophs that convert energy from an abiotic source to a biotic one |
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Definition
| Heterotroph that gets energy and carbon by feeding on tissues, wastes, or remains of other organisms. |
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Definition
| One of the prokaryotic or fungal heterotrophs that obtains carbon and energy by breaking down wastes or remains of organisms. |
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Definition
moves through an ecosystem in a one-way flow originating in the sun and ultimately ending up as heat
It flows through various trophic levels in a chain of organisms eating each other, a food chain |
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Definition
| 1.describes how many levels an organisms is away from the energy source 2.All organisms at the same level are the same # of steps away -Producers are the first trophic level |
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| different kinds of food chain |
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Definition
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Definition
-Transfer of energy b/w trophic levels is never 100%
-Some energy is always lost
-This limits the length of food chains
-How much energy is transferred b/w trophic levels? Depends, but a 10% transfer of energy is a good rule of thumb |
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Term
| How much energy comes into a system? |
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Definition
The Sun is the source for almost all the earth's energy.
Every minute, the earth absorbs 19kcal/m2
A small percentage 1% is converted to chemical energy via photosynthesis |
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Term
| This is primary productivity |
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Definition
-gross (total energy converted)
-net (total energy minus energy used for respiration) |
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Term
| DDT in high order carnivores |
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Definition
-extremely high in high-order carnivores due to biological magnification
-led to rapid decline of many bird species |
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Definition
| a nonegradable or slowly degradable substance becomes more and more concentrated in the tissues of organisms at higher trophic levels a food web |
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Definition
| Slow movement of an element from environmental reservoirs, through food webs, then back |
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Definition
| The process by which water moves among ocean, the atmosphere, and freshwater reservoirs. |
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Definition
| Atmospheric cycle. Carbon moves from its environmental reservoirs (sediments, rocks, the ocean), through the atmosphere (mostly as CO2), food webs, and back to the reservoirs. |
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Definition
| without it, earth's surface would be so cold that very little life would survive |
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Definition
| An atmospheric cycle. Nitrogen moves from its largest reservoir (the atmosphere), then through the ocean, ocean sediments, soils, and food webs, then back to the atmosphere. |
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Definition
| A sedimentary cycle. Phosphorus (mainly phosphate) moves from land, through food webs, to ocean sediments, then back to land. |
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Definition
| refers to nutrient enrichment of any ecosystem that is otherwise low nutrients |
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Definition
-studies the behavioral interactions between individuals
-involves the response of an organism to stimuli |
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Definition
| are a series of instinctive movements that are genetically programmed |
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Definition
| Enduring modification of a behavior as an outcome of experience in the environment. |
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Definition
| A form of learning triggered by exposure to sign stimuli; time-dependent, usually occurs during a sensitive period while an animal is young. |
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Definition
| an animal's involuntary response to a stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus that is presented @ the same time. |
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Definition
| rat presses level for food but when shocked it will avoid lever |
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Definition
| an animal learns by experience not to respond to a stimulus that neither positive or negative effects. Ex. pigeon in city doesn't flee when humans walk by them |
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Definition
| One animal acquires a new behavior by observing and imitating behavior of another. |
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Definition
| bird breading nut on street when cars run over them |
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Definition
| behavior that promotes propagation of an individual's genes |
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Definition
| Mode of natural selection in which some individuals out-reproduce others of a population because they are better at securing mates. |
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| Male reproductive strategies |
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Definition
-produce energetically inexpensive sperm
-often prove no parental care
-often maximize reproductive success by mating with as many females as possible |
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| Female reproductive strategies |
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Definition
-produce large, energetically expensive eggs
-often provide parental care
-often increase reproductive success by increasing the quality of their mate |
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| consequence of different reproductive strategies |
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Definition
-choosy females
-males compete for females
-try to attract mates with gifts |
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Definition
| ring the alarm to warn others of predators |
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Definition
| Animal group that forms when individuals each attempt to hide in the midst of others. |
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Definition
| all hunt at the same time |
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| cooperative child-rearing |
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Definition
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Definition
| pass on genes indirectly by helping relatives who have copies of those genes to survive and reproduce |
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Definition
| Selection for traits that make offspring better competitors; occurs in a population near carrying capacity |
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Definition
| selection that favors traits that maximize number of offspring; operates when the population is well below its carrying capacity |
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Definition
| The maximum rate of increase per individual for a population growing under ideal conditions |
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Definition
| Individuals of a mobile species are captured (or selected) at random, marked, then released so they can mix with unmarked individuals. One or more samples are taken. The ratio of marked to unmarked individuals is used to estimate total population size |
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Definition
| a group of individuals of the same age |
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Definition
| a factor that slows population growth, and either appears or worsens with crowding; disease, competition for food |
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Term
| density-independent factor |
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Definition
| a factor that slows population growth; its likelihood of occurring and magnitude of effect does not vary with population density |
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Definition
| the time it takes for a population to double in size |
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Definition
| permanent move of one or more individuals out of a population |
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Definition
| one or more individuals move and take up residence in another population of its species |
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Definition
| One of a number of sampling areas of the same size and shape used to estimate population size |
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Definition
| study of patterns in the geographic distribution of species and communities |
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Definition
| modifications of a trait of one species in a way that lowers intensity of competition with another species; occurs over generation |
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Definition
| when two species require the same limited resource to survive or reproduce, the better competitor will drive the less competitive one to extinction in the shared habitat |
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Definition
| species that has become established in a new community after dispersing from its home range |
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Definition
Use of different parts of a resource; permits two or more similar species to coexist in a habitat
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Definition
| Process by which bacteria and fungi break down nitrogen-containing organic material and release ammonia and ammonium ions |
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Definition
| Conversion of nitrate or nitrite to gaseous nitrogen (N2) or nitrogen oxide (NO2) by soil bacteria. |
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Definition
| Food chain in which energy flows from producers to detritivores and decomposes (rather than herbivores). |
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Definition
| Food chain in which energy flows from producers to herbivores. |
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Definition
| Permeable rock layers that hold water. |
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Definition
| Eastward displacement of warm surface waters of the western equatorial Pacific. Recurs, alters global climates. |
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Definition
| Variety of forms of life, in terms of genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity. |
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Definition
| Conversion of grassland or irrigated or rain-fed cropland to desert like conditions. |
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Definition
| Social behavior that can lower an individual’s reproductive success but improve that of others. |
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Definition
| Behavior performed without having first been learned. |
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Definition
| Production of genetically variable offspring by gamete formation and fertilization. |
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| theory of inclusive fitness |
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Definition
| The idea that genes associated with altruism are adaptive if they cause behavior that promotes if they cause behavior that promotes the reproductive success of an altruist’s closest relatives. |
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