Studied by 17 people
nonliving components or factors in an environment
abiotic factors
Determined by the numbers of individuals in a different age group
age structure
“self-feeders” synthesize the organic compounds of their bodies from inorganic precursors
autotroph
Any of the various chemical cycles, which involve both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystem
biogeochemical cycle
any concentration of a toxin, such as pesticides, in the tissues of tolerant species at increasingly higher levels in a food chain
biomagnification
a characteristic terrestrial ecosystem that occurs on at least two different continents
biome
all of the ecosystems on the planet and determine how they interact with each other
biosphere
living components or factors in an environment
biotic factors
producers at bottom have a limiting affect on individual higher organisms above
bottom-up effects
A situation in which the abundance of organisms at each trophic level is limited by nutrient supply or the availability of food at lower trophic levels; thus, the supply of nutrients controls plant numbers, which control herbivore numbers, which in turn control predator number
bottom-up effects
An organism that consumes animals for nutrition
carnivore
the maximum/sustainable number of individuals that the environment can support
carrying capacity
energy from inorganic oxidation reactions (prokayotes)
chemoautotroph
group of interacting population that are usually found in a specific space
community
community that is the last one standing; occurs after inhibition occurs
climax community
uneven distribution of resources; common in nature
clumped dispersion
occurs when predators and prey or herbivores and plants interact over time.
coevolutionary arms race
benefits one species and is neutral to the other
commensalism
interaction that occurs when individuals of different species both use a resource that limits the survival and reproduction of each species
competition
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.
competitive exclusion
populations of different species but the same general types
community
microbes that break up dead matter
decomposer
quantitative way of studying a population
demography
breaks down population into convenient units ( classes, gender, sexual mature vs immature)
demography
sensitive to population size and only affect large populations
density-dependent growth
Factors that affect the population and depend on population size
density dependent
have the same effect on small population as they would on a median or large population
density-independent growth
Rate of growth of a population at any instant is limited by something unrelated to the size of the population
Density-independent effects
animals that eat decaying matter
detritivore
allows organisms to make their way away from where their native environment may be
Dispersal mechanisms
behavioral interactions, resource competition
uniform dispersion
A natural or human-caused event that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms from it.
disturbance
such as fires and storms, play a pivotal role in structuring many communities.
disturbance
the study of the interactions between an organism and its environment
ecology
comprised of the predicted communities that should live equilibrium based on predictable factors of the environment such as sunlight or precipitation levels
ecosystem
A function performed by an ecosystem that directly or indirectly benefits humans
ecosystem services
Growth of a population in an ideal, unlimited environment, represented by a J-shaped curve when population size is plotted over time.
exponential growth model
early successional species introduce local changes in the habitat; happens second
facilitation
number of offspring produced in a standard time
Fecundity
an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life near the bottom of the sea
Gulf Dead zone
An animal that mainly eats plants or algae
herbivore
cannot synthesize organic compounds from inorganic precursors
heterotroph
In population models, the per capita rate at which an exponentially growing population increases in size at each instant in time.
intrinsic growth rate
two different species that are competing for a similar resources at the same time
interspecific competition
In Intrinsic Growth Rate, if birth rate is greater than death rate
positive result
Three Possibilities of an Intrinsic Rate of Increase
Positive value: greater than 0 (positive r)
2.Negative value: less than 0 (negative r)
3.Equal to 0 (r=0)
Populations that have a +rate of intrinsic population increase
growing
Populations that have a -rate of intrinsic population increase
shrinking
Populations that have a 0 rate of intrinsic population increase
stays the same
In Intrinsic Growth Rate, if immigration is greater than immigration rate
positive result
In an Exponential Population Growth Model, when e = i, and there are no limits on population growth then
dN = riN
the number of individuals in the population
N
the rate of change over time
dN/dt
the intrinsic rate of natural increase for the population = innate capacity for growth
ri
If two species are competing for a limited resource, the species that uses the resource more efficiently will eventually eliminate the other locally
Principle of competitive exclusion
one organism consuming another
Predator-Prey Relationship
predator or another organism that keeps everything together
keystone species
usually have adjusted a population to avoid density dependent factors from becoming too prevalent
K-selection
show probability of survival and reproduction through a cohort’s life
life table
Complete life cycle of an organism
life history
An element that must be added for production to increase in a particular area.
limiting nutrient
Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity
logistic growth model
when one has suitable habitats and there’s a gap of unsuitable habitats but the organisms are close to each other in order to enable gene flow
metapopulations
benefits both species
mutualism
death rate in a standard time
mortality
the gross primary productivity (GPP) less the respiration of the primary producers
net primary productivity
the total of all the ways an organism uses the resources of its environment
niche
The basis for analyzing behavior as a compromise between feeding costs and feeding benefits.
optimal foraging
benefits one species at the expense of another organism; harms the other
parasitism
light as energy source
photoautotroph
Groups of organisms of the same species
population
an animal that naturally preys on others
predator
an animal that is caught and killed by another for food
prey
productivity of the primary producers
primary productivity
there was no community existing there before this process started
primary succession
the representation of total living biomass or organic matter present at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
pyramid of biomass
shows graphically the population, or abundance, in terms of the number of individual organisms involved at each level in a food chain
pyramid of numbers
where one is likely to encounter organism that makes up the population
range
most species have __ geographic range
limited
individuals do not interact strongly with one another; not common in nature
random dispersion
The proportional abundance of different species in a community
relative abundance
The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species
resource partitioning
the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration
restoration ecology
those that produce a large number of offspring and contribute few resources to each individual offspring
r-selection
what happens when an existing community is disturbed and what comes after it
Secondary succession
the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration
species richness
Express some aspects of age distribution
survivorship curve
the reflection of the number of individuals who are in a population
survivorship curve
An ecological relationship between organisms of two different species that live together in direct and intimate contact
symbiosis
early successional species are characterized by r-selected species tolerant of harsh conditions; happens first
tolerance
all species that are arriving at the start of succession
tolerance
A situation in which the abundance of organisms at each trophic level is controlled by the abundance of consumers at higher trophic levels; thus, predators limit herbivores, and herbivores limit plants.
top-down effects
process by which effects exerted at one level flow to influence two or more levels
trophic cascade
which level an organism “feeds” at
trophic level
What is the difference between abiotic and biotic factors in ecology?
ABIOTIC
Climatic: Temperature, sunlight, precipitation(rainfall or snowfall)
Geological: plants that are growing in a certain type of soil, specific type of pH or mineral in the soil
Physical: very exposed area in terms of wind, aquatic environment( light penetration lessens as you go deeper), pressure, terrestrial organism( elevation)
BIOTIC( 3 THINGS)
Competition for limited resources
Predation: eat something or become eaten
Disease: pathogens that may cause individuals to become sick
do abiotic and biotic factors interact
yes, for example, rock and soil provide resources for plants, and plants cycle the nutrients through so they can end up back in rock/soil
What is the Butterfly effect in ecology?
a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere
What evidence supports the butterfly effect
the Chornobyl accident, while it happened in Ukraine the effects of the high radiation can be seen worldwide.
Describe graphically the exponential and logistic population growth models.
EXPO: describes a population with unlimited resources, which keeps growing bigger and faster over time ; represented by a J shaped line
LOGIS: describes a population that has limited resources or other limits to growth, which grows more slowly as it gets larger ; represented by a sigmoid curve
describe formulaically the exponential and logistic population growth models
EXPO: dN = riN → As time increases, population size increase; in theory as time increases, population size increase
N:number of individuals in the population
dN/dt: the rate of change over time
ri: innate capacity for growth
LOGIS: dN/dt = rN (K – N)/K → N/K Ratio: If N is really large and K is really small then we’ll find that the effect will be bigger
As N approaches K, the rate of population growth begins to slow
If N = K the population growth rate is zero
Note 
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