Studied by 1 person
limiting factor
a component of an ecosystem which limits the contribution or number of a population
biotic factors
interactions between organisms (intraspecific) and between species (interspecific)
abiotic factors
environmental conditions such as light, pH, rainfall and salinity
law of tolerance
proposes that populations have optimal survival conditions that fall within critical maximum and minimum thresholds as a population is exposed to the extremes of a particular limiting factor
optimal zone
the central portion of the law of tolerance curve which has conditions that favor maximal reproductive success and survivability
zones of stress
regions on the law of tolerance curve which flank the optimal zone where organisms can survive but with reduced reproductive success
zones of intolerance
the outermost regions on the law of tolerance curve in which organisms cannot survive
ecological niche
describes the functional position and role of an organism within it’s environment
competitive exclusion
one species uses the resources more efficiently, driving other species to local extinction
resource partitioning
both species alter their use of the habitat to divide resources between them
fundamental niche
the entire theoretical set of conditions under which an organism can survive and reproduce
realized niche
a set of conditions used by an organism after including interactions with other species
mutualism
a type of symbiosis where both species benefit from the interaction
commensalism
a type of symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is unaffected
parasitism
a type of symbiosis where one species benefits to the detriment of the other
biomass
the total dry weight of organic matter in organisms or ecosystems
primary productions
the production of chemical energy in organic compounds by producers
Gross Primary Production (GPP)
the amount of chemical energy as biomass that a producer creates in a given length of time
Net Primary Production (NPP)
the amount of chemical energy that is not consumed by respiration
secondary production
the generation of biomass by heterotrophic organisms driven by the transfer of organic compounds
closed ecosystem
ecosystem which exchanges energy but not matter
open ecosystem
an ecosystem which exchanges both energy and matter with it’s surrounding environment
primary succession
occurs when communities develop on entirely new land without any established soil
endemic species
species which are native to a defined geographic region
alien species
species which have been transferred from their natural habitat to a new environment
invasive species
if an introduced alien species has a detrimental effect upon the pre-existing food chains
cane toads
an invasive species introduced into Australia in 1935 to control the the spread of the sugar cane beetle which was damaging crops which now endangers native wildlife
physical control
controlling the population of an invasive species through manual or mechanical removal or restriction
biological control
controlling the population of an invasive species using a living organism (or virus)
chemical control
controlling the population of an invasive species through the use of chemical agents
biomagnification
the process in which chemical substances become more concentrated at each trophic level
bioaccumulation
the build up of a chemical substance in the tissues of a single organism
indicator species
species which are sensitive to specific environmental conditions whose growth or reduction indicates changes to the environment
biotic index
compares the relative frequency of indicator species and provide an overall assessment of environmental health
biodiversity
the variety and variability of all living organisms within a given ecological area
Simpson’s reciprocal index
a measure of the relative biodiversity of a given community
Note 
Flashcard (31)