pop ecology vocab quiz #3

rhizomes

a type of plant stem that grows horizontally underground and produces roots, shoots, and new plants along its length. It’s a key concept in environmental science because it explains how certain plants spread, survive disturbance, and compete in ecosystems.

allelopathic

a plant that releases biochemicals into the environment that affect the growth, survival, or reproduction of other plants.

herbicides

chemicals designed to kill or inhibit the growth of unwanted plants, usually weeds.

ornamental

plant that is only grown primarily for its decorative appearance rather than for food or practical use.

ballast water

water ships take in and release to maintain stability, and it often carries non‑native organisms that can become invasive when discharged into new ecosystems.

aquaculture

the farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments for food, restoration, or commercial use.

fire supprension

the practice of putting out wildfires as quickly as possible, which prevents natural burning but can lead to a dangerous buildup of dry fuel over time.

filter feeders

an aquatic organism that strains small particles—like plankton, algae, or detritus—from the water as it passes through its feeding structures, cleaning the water

biological control

the use of natural predators, parasites, or pathogens to manage or reduce populations of unwanted species like pests or invasive organisms.

mechanical control

he management of unwanted species by physically removing, cutting, trapping, or otherwise manually eliminating them

chemical control

the management of unwanted species by using pesticides, herbicides, or other posions to kill or suppress them.

host specificity

the degree to which a parasite, predator, or biological control agent can only use one (or very few) host species, rather than many

veliger

free‑swimming larval stage of many mollusks, including zebra and quagga mussels, that drifts in the water column before settling and attaching to a surface.

monoculture

establishes a ecosystem with no biodiversity where one species inhabits it

specialist

species that has narrow ecological requirements and is adapted to thrive in a very specific habitat, diet, or set of environmental conditions.

listing

one of three aspects of the endangered species act, process of an agency or a group/person with a petition to get a species added to the catalog

critical habitat

one of three aspects of the endangered species act, agencies must identify land that the candidate species would live in/ will move in to when the population is established. This may include private land.

recovery plan

one of three aspects of the endangered species act, a specific proposal must be created to ensure the species survival and that it will thrive

adaptive radiation

intense competition for resources forces species to become more competitive through character displacement. that results in speciation the formation of new species.

ecological island

An ecological island is a distinct, isolated ecosystem surrounded by a different type of environment that limits the movement of species in and out.

edge effects

The edge effect refers to the changes in population, community structure, and environmental conditions that occur at the boundary (edge) between two ecosystems

wildlife corridors

A wildlife corridor is a linking pathway of habitat that connects two or more larger habitat areas, enabling animals to travel, migrate, find food, locate mates, and maintain healthy genetic diversity.

commons

natural resources shared by a community—such as air, water, fisheries, forests, grazing land, or the atmosphere—that everyone can access and benefit from.

angels/ non-angels

“angels” and “non‑angels” refer to species’ reproductive strategies, specifically within the framework of K‑selected vs. r‑selected species.