Studied by 2 people
Clumped Dispersion
Occurs when resources are spread unevenly throughout an ecosystem
Uniform Dispersion
occurs when individuals of the same species must compete for limited resources and territory
Random Dispersion
The least common pattern of dispersion; organisms are found randomly in an ecosystem
A Survivorship curve
a simplified diagram that shows the number of surviving individuals over time from a measured set of births
Type 1 survivorship curve
small number of offspring, live to old age
type 2 survivorship curve
The survivorship curve is roughly equal at all stages of an organism's life
type 3 survivorship curve
Large number of offspring, but many do not live enough to reproduce
exponential growth
(J shaped curve) occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a relatively short amount of time.
logistic growth
(S shaped curve) when a population begins a period of slow growth followed by a period of exponential growth before leveling off to a stable size. This will occur when a population reaches the ecosystem's carrying capacity.
carrying capacity
maximum number of species that a particular environment can support
density dependent
factors that are affected by the number of individuals in an area (competition, predation, parasitism, and disease)
Density independent
factors that can impact a population regardless of the population density (weather, natural disasters, human activity)
Habitat
all of the biotic and abiotic factors in the area where an organism lives
An Ecological niche
contains all the physical, chemical, and biological factors that a species needs to survive and reproduce.
Predation
Is the process by which one organism captures and feeds upon another organism
Competition
occurs when two organisms fight for the same resources
Symbiosis
is a close relationship between two or more organisms of different species that live in direct contact with one another
Mutualism
both organisms benefit from the relationship
Commensalism
one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
Parasitism
one species benefits and the other is harmed
Biodiversity
is the variety of species within an ecosystem
A Biodiversity Hotspot
an area on earth that is under extreme threat from human action
Endemic Species
A species found in one area on earth and nowhere else. (Lemurs)
Keystone Species
When one species alone has a drastic effect on the entire ecosystem.
primary succession
The establishment of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited ( volcanic eruption, melting glaciers and landslides)
secondary succession
The establishment of an ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact
