Community Ecology

Autotroph

Produce own energy

Heterotroph

Get energy from consuming other organisms

Detrivores

Another name for decomposers

50%

Amt of energy lost in feces/waste

33%

Amt of energy lost to cellular respiration

17%

Amt of energy lost to growth

Biomagnification

Toxins concentrate as they move up the food chain

Niche

An organism’s ecological role

Competitive Exclusion

No two similar species can occupy the same niche at the same time

Resource Partitioning

Reduces competition via microhabitats

Cryptic Coloration

Camouflage

Aposematic Coloration

Bright warning colors to predators

Batesian Mimicry

Palatable or harmless species mimics a harmful model; convergent evolution

Population Range

Geographical limitations of a species

Clumped

Uniform

Random

Immigration

Coming into a population

Emigration

Leaving a population

Type I

Type of survivorship curve; high death rate in post-reproductive years

Type II

Type of survivorship curve; constant mortality rate throughout lifespan

Type III

Type of survivorship curve; very high early mortality but then live long

K-selected

Late reproduction, few offspring, invest a lot in raising offspring

r-selected

early reproduction, many offspring, little parental care

births-deaths

how to find change in population

Exponential model

change in number of individuals/change in time = intrinsic rate times number of individuals

N

variable for number of individuals

r

variable for rate of growth

r_i

variable for intrinsic rate

t

variable for time

d

variable for rate of change

intrinsic rate

maximum rate of growth

K

variable for carrying capacity

Carrying Capacity

Maximum population size that environment can support with no degradation of habitat

Proximate Cause

Immediate stimulus and mechanism; how and what questions

ultimate causes

evolutionary significance; how does behavior contribute to survival and reproduction; adaptive value

ethology

study of animal behavior

innate behavior

automatic behaviors despite diff environments; triggered by a stimulus

Learned behaviors

Modified by experience; triggered by a stimulus; variable

Fixed Action Patterns

Sequence of behaviors essentially unchangeable and usually conducted to completion once started

sign stimulus

the releaser that triggers FAP

taxis

change in direction; automatic mvmt toward or away from a stimulus

phototaxis

taxis in response to light

chemotaxis

taxis in response to chemicals

Kinesis

change in rate of mvmt in response to a stimuli

Imprinting

Learning at a specific critical time forming social attachments; learned and innate

Associative Learning

Learning to associate one feature of the environment with another

Operant conditioning

trial and error learning; associate behavior with reward and punishment

Classical conditioning

Pavlovian; associate a neutral stimulus with a significant one

Critical Period

Sensitive phase for optimal imprinting

Altruistic behavior

Reduces individual fitness of a recipient

Kin selection

altruistic behavior to save kin so genetics are passed on

Pheromones

Chemical signal that stimulates a response from other invidudals