ecology exam 2 review

life history

lifetime pattern of growth, development, and reproduction of a particular species

carrying capacity

maximum population size that can be supported and sustained by the environment

enemy release hypothesis

hypothesis that invasive species are successful because they lack natural predators or pathogens

clumped distribution

spatial distribution in which individuals are attracted to each other or a resource

co-evelution

process in which interactions between species lead to reciprocal adaptation

immigration

movement of individual INTO a subpopulation

active

type of dispersal in which organisms move independently

abundance

number of individuals in a population

competitive exclusion principle

complete competitors CANNOT coexist; 2 species in the same time and place using the same resources CANNOT coexist

fecundity

number of offspring per reproductive event

INTRAspecific

competition amoung individuals of the SAME species

cosmopolitan

species with a geographic distribution that extends to MOST of the world

resource hypothesis

hypothesis that predicts invasive plants experience a more ideal combination of resources in their naturalized habitat

reproductive effort

total energetic cost of reproduction per reproductive event

apparent competition

competition in which each prey species indirectly effects the other, because each has a positive effect on the predator

Age structure

number of individuals in a particular age class

r-selected

species that produces many young over a SHORT lifetime & has HIGH offspring mortality

overexploitation

using a species as a resource beyong its ability to replenish itself

co-extinction

extinction due to the obligatory association between plants and/or animals

Iteroparous

species that has MULTIPLE reproductive events

Niche partitioning

process by which natural selection drives competing species in to different patterns of resource or habitat use

phenology

timing of life history event

assisted

type of dispersal in which human activity expands the range of a species

symbiosis

any intimate and protracted / long-lasting association between two or more organisms

ubiquitous

species with geographically WIDESPREAD distribution

fundamental niche

ALL environmental conditions and resources in which a species can survive, grow, and reproduce

mark-recapture

population size estimate that compares number of marked individuals relative to number of unmarked individuals

uniform

spatial distribution in which individuals are evenly spaced

Facilitative Interaction

interactions between two species, that BENEFIT at least ONE of them and HARMS NEITHER of them (++) or (+0)

population

group of the same species that inhabit a given area and interact with one another

distribution

spatial pattern of individuals within a population

predation

killing and consumption of all or part of an organism of another species

competitive release

expansion of a species niche when a competitor is no long present

immigration corridor

specific routes or pathways that an individual uses to travel between patches

K-selected

species that produces FEW young over a long lifespan and has LOW offspring mortality

Connectivity

measure of the distance between a focal habitat path and nearby populations

metapopulations

collective of local subpopulations connected by dispersal of individuals

Realized niche

environmental conditions and resources in which a species can survive, grow & reproduce in the PRESENCE OF COMPETITORS

emigration

movement of individuals OUT of a subpopulation

Passive

type of dispersal in which stationary organisms disperse with the aid of another organism

Constitutive defense

defense that is expressed continuously

linear

model of population growth that ONLY consider per capita rate of increase

invasive

non-native species introduced into a new habitat that often adversely affects numerous species in a new habitat

area-based sampling

method used to sample sessile organisms by dividing an area into quadrants and estimating density

Mutualism

BOTH interacting species benefit (++)

Exponential

model of population growth in which per capita rate of increase STAYS THE SAME regardless of population size

territory

defended area within an animal’s home range

Ecological Density

sampling method that estimates number of individuals per unit of available living space

Allele Effect

form of inverse density dependance that only occurs in small population, typically due to behavioral factors

Net reproductive rate

population-level average number of female offspring produced per female, adjusted by age-specific birth & survivorship

Semelparous

species that reproduce in one massive reproduction effort, then die

inflection point

the highest rate of growth for the population; point at which the population has reached half it’s carrying capacity

inbreeding depressionquan

reduction in survival or viability of offspring produced when two relatives mate with each other

Population viability analysis

quantitative analysis of extinction risk and continued survival of population

commensalism

ONE species benefits and the OTHER species is unaffected (+-)

evolution of increased competitive ability hypothesis

hypothesis that predicts invasive plants allocate more resources toward reproduction than defense

random

spatial distribution in which each individual has an equal probability of occupying any given space

logistic

model of population growth in which per capita rate of increase is affected by environmental factors

endemic

species with a geographically RESTRICTED distribution

community

multiple populations of different species interacting in a shared environment

INTERspecific competition

competition between individuals (or populations) of separate species

Exploitative interaction

any interaction in which ONE species benefits, while the OTHER species suffers a survival or reproductive cost (+-)

induced defense

defense expressed in response to threat or injury

Amensalism

ONE species is harmed, while OTHER species is unaffected (-0)

functional response

relationship between prey density and predatory per capita consumption rate

Age structure pyramid: from top to bottom name the reproduction time period?

POST reproductive , reproduction , PRE reproduction

net reproductive rate: growing / declining / stable

Ro > 1 / Ro < 1 / Ro = 1

intrinsic rate of increase: growing / declining / stable

r > 0 / r < 0 / r = 0

logistic growth model: growing / declining / stable

< inflection point (K/2) / > inflection point (K/2) / = carrying capacity (K)

assume asked to estimate morel fruiting body abundance of mushrooms in a forest of 10,000 ha, of which 10% had been recently burned. would you focus sampling on more burned or unburned areas? why?

focus on sampling the burned morels because forests produce more morels after they are burned

primary factors driving population dynamics

demographic process of births and deaths

Lincoln-Peterson Index

• most common for mark-recapture

• Assumptions:

  • random sampling

  • marked individuals are randomly distributed through population

  • ratio or marked & unmarked does not change between sampling

  • tagging does not affect survival

2 outcomes of INTRAspecific competition

1. Scramble competition: ALL individuals in population suffer similar reduction in growth & reproduction

2. Contest competition: SOME individuals use/take more resources→growth of population is maintained by successful competitors

2 outcomes INTERspecific competition

1. Exploitation competition: resources become reduced, but individuals DO NOT interact directly (interact indirectly) with each other

2. Interference competition: individuals interact directly for resources, preventing the other from gaining access

Lotka-Vilterra comp model: 2 interacting species, deer (species 1) & elk (species 2). elk are on average 2 times the size of deer and require 2 times the amount of food. what is the per capita effect on both species?

per capita of elk on deer: 2

per capita of deer on elk: 0.5

categorize the type of interaction: a carolina wren eats a spider

predation (wren +, spider -)

categorize the type of interaction: clownfish live in sea anemones. sea anemones protect the clownfish from predators. the clownfish provides cleaning and nutrients to the anemones

mutualism (clownfish +, sea anemone +)

categorize the type of interaction: cattle egrets eat insect disturbed by grazing livestock

commensalism (cattle +, livestock 0)

categorize the type of interaction: an egyptian plover hops into a crocodiles mouth and picks tiny bits of food stuck between the crocodiles teeth

cleaning mutualism (crocodile +, bird +)

categorize the type of interaction: an elephant steps on a mouse burrow, injuring some of the mice inside

Amensalism (elephant 0, mouse -)

categorize the type of interaction: a species of isopod severs a fish’s tongue and replaces it with its own body. the isopod feeds off the fish’s blood and any other food the fish tries to eat

parasitism (isopod +, fish -)