Chapter 5 - Species Interactions, Ecological Succession, and Population Control - Terms

terms

Int**er**specific competiton

competition between members of **different** species

Int**ra**specific competition

competition among the **same** species

Resource partitioning

occurs when species competing for similar limited resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to “share” those resources

Predation

the ecological process by which energy is transferred from living animal to living animal based on the behavior of a predator that captures and kills a prey before eating it

Predator

Hunters. Some species use camouflage to ambush their prey.

Prey

Hunted by predators. Some use camouflage to hide from predators

Predator-prey relationship

affect population size

coevolution

happens when interaction between species drive adaptive changes in both species

parasitism

occurs when one organism (the parasite) lives in or on another organism (the host)

parasite

the organism living on another

host

the organism being lived off of.

mutualism

a situation where both species benefit.

commensalism

one species benefits but does not significantly harm or help the other species.

Ecological Succession

occurs when the composition of a community or ecosystem changes in response to changing environmental conditions.

primary ecological succession

begins when there is no soil involving the gradual establishment of communities in mostly lifeless areas.

secondary ecological succession

begins in an area of disturbance where some soil remains (more common)

inertia

otherwise known as persistence, the ability of an ecosystem to survive moderate disturbances in the environment

resilience

the ability of an ecosystem to be restored through secondary ecological succession after a severe disturbance

population

a group of interbreeding individuals of the same species in the same area

population density

age structure

the proportionate numbers of people in different age categories in a given population for a defined time

a factor that affects population size

range of tolerance

the range of environmental conditions that are tolerable for survival in a species.

a factor that affects population size

limiting factor

impose size limits on rapidly growing populations. Include: sunlight, water, temperature, space, nutrient availability, exposure to predators/infectious disease

density-dependent factor

factors that regulate the growth of a population depending on its density

competition, stress, disease, predation, parasitism

density-**in**dependent factor

factors that regulate population growth without depending on its density.

natural disasters, drought, temperature, fires

environmental resistence

the sum of all the limiting factors and determine the environments carrying capacity

carrying capacity

the maximum population of a species that a habit can sustain indefinitely

population crash

a sudden decline in the numbers of individual members in a population

r - selected species

* short life spans
* little parental care
* many offspring
* have a capacity for a high rate of population increase
* never reach the carrying capacity (K)

K - selected species

* reproduce later in life
* greater parental care
* fewer offspring
* longer life spans
* exist in a steady but fluctuating population size at the carrying capacity

survivorship curve

illustrates the different life expectancies of species, showing the percentages of the members of a population surviving at different ages