19 Ecological Principles

Study.com College Biology 101

Colonization

When a species sets up a stable population in an area where it was not already found

Producer

An organism that uses an abiotic source (such as the sun) to obtain its energy. An example is plants.

Intraspecific Competition

When organisms of the same species compete for resources

Ecosystem Ecology

The study of the level of ecology that includes the community plus the abiotic (nonliving) factors of the community

Interspecific competition

Competition for resources between two or more species in the same community

Predator/Prey Interactions

Describes offensive strategies of predators (speed, poison, flight) and defensive strategies of prey (camouflage, chemical warfare, mimicry), which often adapt together through coevolution.

Density-Dependent Factor

A factor affecting a population in an ecosystem that is dependent on the number of organisms in the population. Includes habitat, food, and water.

Trophic Level

The level in a food chain that an organism's energy comes from. For example, the first trophic level contains organisms that get their energy from an abiotic source.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while there is no effect on the other. Examples include algae and barnacles on turtles and whales.

Detritivore

An organism that uses dead organic material or waste products as its food source. Examples are vultures, fungi, and bacteria.

Population

A level of ecological organization that includes all the organisms of the same species that live in a specific area.

Biosphere Ecology

The study of the level of ecology that encompasses all of the planet's ecosystems

Density-Independent Factors

A factor affecting a population in an ecosystem that is not dependent on the number of organisms in the population. Includes predation and disease.

Batesian Mimicry

When a harmless or edible organism mimics a harmful or inedible organism. An example is harmless flies or beetles mimicking the yellow and black stripe pattern of hornets.

Local Extinction

When an organism becomes extinct in a specific area

Immigration

A one-time movement of organism(s) into a geographical area

Food Chain

A sequential model that describes how organisms feed on one another