apes unit 3

generalist species

broad ecological niches, lives in a wide range of habitats, tolerates a variety of environmental conditions, diverse diet

specialist species

narrow ecological niches, requires specific habitat types, narrow range of environmental conditions, very specific food sources

which are more likely to become endangered and why? (generalist or specialist species)

specialist species: narrow ecological niche and strict habitat + diet —> habitat loss, environmental disruption, and climate change puts them at risk of population decline or extinction

which are more likely to become invasive and why? (generalist or specialist species)

generalist species: adapts quickly to unfamiliar environments, can exploit varied food sources, has broad tolerance limits, can outcompete native specialists

r-strategists

run away, rapid reproduction

maximizes reproductive rate (R); emphasizes high quantities of offspring with minimal parental investment

k-strategists

“care”, carrying capacity

species whose populations tend to hover near carrying capacity (K); emphasizes offspring quality, competition, and survival

type I, II, III survivorship curves

type I: high survivorship throughout early and middle life, most individuals live to old age, high mortality occurs late in life
type II: constant mortality rate/equal chance of dying at any age across the entire lifespan
type III: very low survivorship rate in early life, but the few individuals that reach adulthood sruvive for a long period

overshoot and dieback/crash

overshoot: pop size grows rapidly and temporarily exceeds carrying capacity of its environment

dieback/crash: sudden and sharp decline in pop density following an overshoot

carrying capacity

maximum population size of a species that a given environment can sustainably support indefinitely without degrading the habitat

biotic potential

maximum rate at which a population could grow under ideal environmental conditions with unlimited resources and no limiting factors

consequences of overshoot (3)

1. resource depletion

2. habitat destruction/degradation

3. population dieback/crash

consequences of predator overshoot (3)

1. severe starvation and mortality within pred pop

2. overpredation leading to near-extinction of prey pop

3. forced migration out of native habitat of pred pop

density-dependent limiting factors and examples

factors whose impact on population size or growth changes depending on density/crowding of population

1. infectious diseases

2. food and drinking water availability

3. competition for territory

density-independent limiting factors

physical or abiotic factors that affect population size regardless of how dense or sparse the population is

1. natural disasters

2. forest fires

3. severe cold snaps or heat waves/droughts