8-1 vocab terms. Ecology

Dispersion

The pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of a population.

Population dynamics

The study of how complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influence variations in population size.

K-selection

Selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density.

Cohort

A group of individuals of the same age in a population.

Climograph

A plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region.

Metapopulation

A group of spatially separated populations of one species that interact through immigration and emigration.

Immigration

The influx of new individuals into a population from other areas.

Aphotic zone

The part of an ocean or lake beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur.

Exponential population growth

Growth of a population in an ideal, unlimited environment, represented by a J-shaped curve when a population size is plotted over time.

Abiotic

Nonliving; referring to the physical and chemical properties of an environment.

Life table

A summary of the age-specific survival and reproductive rates of individuals in a population.

Logistical population growth

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.

Disturbance

A natural or human-caused event that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms from it.

Ecotone

The transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another, such as the transition from a forest to a grassland.

Intrinsic Rate of Increase

In population models, the per capita rate at which an exponentially growing population increases in size at each instant in time.

Biotic

Pertaining to the living factors-the organisms-in an environment.

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Survivorship curve

A plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality.

Dispersal

The movement of individuals or gametes away from their parent location. This movement sometimes expands the geographic range of a population or species.

Biomes

Any of the world’s major ecosystem types, often classified according to the predominant vegetation for terrestrial biomes and the physical environment for aquatic biomes and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.