Term
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Definition
| The study of the distributions, abundance, and relations of organisms and their interaction with the environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Study components of ecosystems |
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Term
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Definition
| Living components of ecosystems |
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Term
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Definition
Non-living (i.e. physical and chemical) components of ecosystems.
Example:
Soil and water chemistry
Fire
Climate
-Sunlight
-Temperature
-Precipitation
-Wind |
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Term
| Herbivory (Biotic Factor) |
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Definition
| The consumption of plants without killing them. |
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Term
| Parasitism (Biotic Factor) |
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Definition
| Symbiosis in which one organism lives in or on another as a parasite. |
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Term
| Intraspecific Competition of Resources (Biotic Factor) |
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Definition
| A form of competition between members of the same species. |
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Term
| Interspecific Competition of Resources (Biotic Factor) |
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Definition
| Occurs between members of two, or more, different species. |
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Term
| Intraspecfic Competition of Mates (Biotic Factor) |
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Definition
| A form of competition between members of the same species. |
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Term
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Definition
| The prevailing weather condition in a particular area. |
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Term
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Definition
| Drives global climate patterns. |
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Term
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Definition
Varies across the Earth's surface due to:
-The shape of the Earth
-The tilt of the Earth on its axis
-The orbit of the Earth around the Sun |
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Term
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Definition
| Driven by solar energy and influences regional climates. |
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Term
| Rainforests (Tropical and Temperate) |
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Definition
| Air heated by the sun rises, cools as it does so, and releases moisture in the form of precipitation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Cool air drops, warms as it does so, and takes up moisture. |
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Term
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Definition
| A direct, thermally driven, and zonally symmetric circulation first proposed by George Hadley as an explanation for the trade winds; it consists of the equatorward movement of the trade winds between about latitude 30° and the equator in each hemisphere, with rising wind components near the equator, poleward flow aloft, and finally descending components at about latitude 30° again. |
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Term
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Definition
Alter precipitation patterns.
-Air cools as it passes over mountains, resulting in precipitation on the windward side.
-Dry air passes down the leeward side, warms, and takes up moisture, creating a rain shadow. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Winds that blow predominantly in one direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any of a consistent system of prevailing winds occupying most of the tropics, constituting the major component of the general circulation of the atmosphere, and blowing northeasterly in the Northern Hemisphere and southeasterly in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| Winds blowing from the west, most often occurring in mid latitudes. The westerlies of the Northern Hemisphere blow from the south-west; those of the Southern Hemisphere blow from the north-west. These Southern Hemisphere westerlies are more constant than those of the North because there are fewer land areas or relief barriers in the South. |
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Term
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Definition
| "The set of biotic and abiotic conditions under which a species is able to persist and maintain stable population sizes." - George Hutchinson |
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Term
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Definition
| The place or function of a given organism within its ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| The part of fundamental niche that an organism occupies as a result of limiting factors present in its habitat. |
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Term
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Definition
| Organisms adapt to changing climates. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Decreased surface area to volume ratios. |
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Term
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Definition
| Exploiting micro-climates, migration. |
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Term
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Definition
The world’s major ecosystems, classified
according to dominant vegetation, and
characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment and have changed and moved many times through Earth's history due to plate tectonics and ice ages. |
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Term
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Definition
Freshwater:
-Lakes, streams, and wetlands
Marine:
-Oceans
Estuaries:
-Drowned river valleys, fjords, and lagoons |
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Term
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Definition
Desert:
-Hot and dry, coastal, semi-arid and cold
Tundra:
-Arctic and alpine
Grasslands:
-Savanna and temperate (prairie)
Forests:
-Tropical, temperate and boreal |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of spatial patterns of biological diversity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| The separation or division of a group of organisms by a geographic barrier, such as a mountain or a body of water, resulting in differentiation of the original group into new varieties or species. |
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Term
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Definition
| Large (continental sized) areas with characteristic assemblages of species occupying different biomes. |
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Term
| Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift |
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Definition
Scientific advance.
Vicariance when land masses separate.
Biotic interchange when land masses connect. |
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Term
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Definition
Scientific advance.
Phylogenetic relationships reveal evolutionary history. |
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Term
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Definition
| Individuals of the same species that interact with each other within a given area at a particular time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Number of individuals per unit, area or volume. (Census, mark-recapture) |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of population structure and the processes by which it changes. Changes within a population are influenced by birth rates, death rates, as well as immigration and emigration patterns. |
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Term
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Definition
| The distribution of individuals across all age groups within a population. |
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Term
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Definition
| The distribution of individuals in space within a population. Determines patterns of interactions between individuals. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tool ecologists use to track demographic events and the rate at which they occur. |
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Term
| Population Density Equation |
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Definition
Equation used to estimate changes in population
density:
N1 = N0 + (B – D) + (I – E)
where B=birth rate (natality), D=death rate (mortality),
I =immigration, E = emigration, N0 = population size
at initial time, and N1 = population size at a later time |
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Term
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Definition
follow a group of individuals
born at the same time until the last one of the
group die |
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Term
| Time specific life tables |
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Definition
take a cross section of the
population and determine what age class each
individual is in |
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Term
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Definition
number of offspring produced by
each female |
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Term
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Definition
proportion of individuals in an age
class that die before reaching the next age class |
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Term
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Definition
proportion of individuals that are
alive at each age |
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Term
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Definition
Graphical representations of mortality data from life
tables
Type I – high rate of survival to adulthood
Type II – mortality risk constant at all ages
Type III – high rate of mortality as juveniles that decreases with age |
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Term
| Intrinsic Rate of Increase |
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Definition
a population’s per capita
growth rate
r = b – d
(birth – death)
If r > 0, the population is growing
If r = 0, the population is at equilibrium
If r < 0, the population is in decline |
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Term
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Definition
| Some are heavily influenced by environmental conditions. Some are influenced by interpsecific interactions. |
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Term
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Definition
the age at which individuals are
able to reproduce (generation time) |
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Term
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Definition
number of progeny produced per
reproductive event |
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Term
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Definition
| Organisms reproduce only once |
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Term
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Definition
| Organisms reproduce multiple times |
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Term
| Competition for limited resources |
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Definition
Can reduce number of births
Can increase mortality |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Exponential Growth Equation |
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Definition
Populations are capable of exponential growth
dN/dt = rN
Change in # individuals/change in time = rate of
population growth x population size |
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Term
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Definition
| the number of individuals that can be supported by the resources of the environment. Populations have limited resources, so often exponential growth is no longer possible at high numbers |
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Term
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Definition
Populations that reach carrying capacity experience
logistic growth
dN/dt = rN (K – N / K)
Population growth slows as population size
approaches carrying capacity
- Overshooting K |
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Term
| Density Dependent Factors |
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Definition
Dwindling food supply
Predators attracted to large prey populations
Decrease spreads more easily |
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Term
| Density Independent Factors |
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Definition
| Abiotic factors such as drought, fire, etc... |
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Term
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Definition
species whose life history strategy
allows for a high intrinsic rate of population
increase (r) |
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Term
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Definition
species whose life history strategy
allows it to persist at or near the carrying capacity
(K) of its environment |
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Term
| Control of Population Densities |
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Definition
Use of abundant vs. rare resources
Small vs. large body sizes
Introduced species
Evolutionary history |
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Term
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Definition
Groups of populations that vary in connectivity and resources
Source populations
Sink populations
Rescue effect
Corridors allow gene flow |
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Term
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Definition
use of natural enemies to reduce
population sizes of other species (mosquitofish) |
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Term
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Definition
removal of too many individuals
so the remaining population cannot maintain population sizes |
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Term
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Definition
To effectively manage populations it is crucial to
understand the organisms’ life histories and population dynamics |
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Term
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Definition
Human population is growing exponentially, but
Earth’s resources are not
It took over 10,000 years to reach 1 billion – only
125 years later it is approximately 7 billion
Technology has allowed us to raise carrying capacity, but at the expense of many other species |
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