Ecological Succession + Population Ecology

Succession

series of predictable stages of growth

Primary Succession

starts from bare rock, no soil

Pioneer Species

associated with primary succession, wind spread, fast growth e.g. moss, lichen

Climax Community

large trees at final stages

Clumped Population

groups - pack animals → most common

Uniform Population

even distribution - e.g. penguins → territorial

Random Population

random distribution e.g. plants

K - selected

late reproduction, few offspring, high investment for offspring

R - selected

early reproduction, lots of offspring, low investment in offspring

Exponential Growth

growth w/o limiting factors, J - shaped

Logistic Growth

growth slows as limiting factors become an issue, S - shaped

Carrying Capacity

maximum amount of organisms a given area can support

Density Dependent Limiting Factors

the bigger the population, the more of a problem it becomes e.g. food

Density Independent Limiting Factors

affect remains the same regardless of population size e.g. rainfall, temperature

Predator - Prey Relationships

as prey population increases, so does predator. lots of predators = less prey which in turn, leads to less predators and the cycle repeats