Bio exam 2

Allopatric populations

closely related species that are geographically separate

Aposematic Coloration

warns or danger

Batesian Mimicry

Harmless species looks like predator

Biotic factors

living portion (animals, plants, decomposers, etc)

Bottom-up control

Mineral nutrients, temperature, and light control plants (primary producers)--Soil nutrient availability can directly enhance vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting

Character Displacement

when natural selection favors those individuals in each species that compete least with individuals of the other species (Species evolve to be different from one another)

Characteristics of K-selected species?

reproduces late, long life span, long maturation time, low mortality, small litters, larger numbers of reproductions per lifetime, parental care, large offspring

Characteristics of r-selected species?

reproduces early, short life span, short maturation time, high mortality, large litters, few numbers of reproductions per lifetime, no parental care, small offspring

Coevolution

where two (or more) species reciprocally affect each other's evolution

Cohort

all individuals of the same age

Commensalism

+/0

Continuous Interoparity

reproduce repeatedly at any time of the year

Cryptic Coloration

camouflage

Decomposers

Transfer chemical elements back to soil, water, air, prokaryotes and fungi, active at all trophic levels

Demography

-the study of factors that determine the size & structure of populations through time -Age structure, or the relative number of individuals of each age. -How likely individuals are to survive the following year -How many offspring are produced by females of different ages -How many individuals of different ages immigrate and emigrate each generation

Dispersion Patterns- Clumped Spacing

Most common, resources tend to be clustered in nature, social behavior may promote this pattern

Disruptive Coloration

Blend together, makes it hard for predator to differentiate between them (Herd of zebras)

Dominant Species

the most abundant

Dynamic stability hypothesis

long food chains are less stable than short ones

Ecological Footprint

Aggregate of land needed for survival in a sustainable world

Ecological Niche

the sum total of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

Ecosystem

A system of multiple communities along with their chemical and physical environments

Ectoparasite

lives on host

Endoparasite

lives inside host

Endosymbiont

organisms live inside one another

Energetic hypothesis

Energetic hypothesis: limited by the inefficiency of energy transfer along the chain

Eutrophication

Influx of nitrogen- or phosphorus-containing fertilizers in freshwater lakes due to pollution

Facilitation

early stages; promotes other species by improving area

Fecundity/Age-Specific Fertility (mx)

number of offspring per surviving female of age class "x": (offspring produced at age class "x") / nx

Food chain

transfer of food energy through the trophic levels

Foundation Species

one that allows other species to inhabit a given area by altering the environment

Green World Hypothesis

Terrestrial herbivores consume less than 17% of the total net primary production by plants

Gross primary production (GPP)

the amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis per unit time

Inhibition

some species prevent others

Interference Competition

individuals interact directly with one another by physical force or intimidation

Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

moderate disturbances can create opportunities for greater species diversity

Interspecific competition

different species competing for the same resources

Intraspecific competition

the same species competing for the same resources

Iteroparity

reproduce in successive years or breeding seasons

Keystone Species

the most influential

Limits in aquatic ecosystems

light, nutrients (Phosphorus, nitrogen, iron)

Limits in terrestrial ecosystems

Temperature, moisture (evapotranspiration)

Metapopulation

Occur in areas in which suitable habitat is patchily distributed and is separated by intervening stretches of unsuitable habitat

Mullerian Mimicry

2+ harmful species look like one another

Mutualism

+/+

Name abiotic factors. (5)

Sunlight, temperature, rainfall (water), soil conditions, geography

Name density-dependent factors.

Disease, competition, predation, parasitism, competition for resources

Name density-independent factors.

drought, freezes, floods, habitat loss, forest fires, storms, pollution

Net Primary Production (NPP)

GPP minus the energy used by the primary producers for cellular respiration (R)

Net reproductive rate (R0)

sum of lxmx

Other prey defenses

schooling, intimidation, weaponry

Parasitism

benefits one (symbiont), harms the other (host) (+/-)

Parasitoidism

deposits eggs on or in host

Phoresy

One organism rides on another

Population Dynamics

Interaction of all of the above factors

Population growth

the change in the number of individuals in the population (∆N) per unit time (∆t)

Predation

When a predator species kills a prey species and consumes most or all of it (+/-)

Predator feeding adaptations

claws, fangs, teeth, stingers, poison

Primary Succession

Begins in an almost lifeless area where soil has been removed by volcanic eruptions, glaciers, floods, or landslides

Random Spacing

Rarest, resources are rarely randomly spaced, may occur where resources are common and abundant

Relative Abundance

the proportion each species represents

Resource Competition

organisms compete indirectly through the consumption of a limited resource

Resource Partitioning

when similar species exploit the limited resources in an ecological area without one species driving the others into extinction

Seasonal Iteroparity

distinct breeding seasons

Secondary Succession

Begins in areas where a disturbance removes some or all of the organisms but leaves the soil intact, e.g, fires, logging

Semelparity

produce all offspring in a single reproductive event, individuals reproduce once and die

Species richness

the total number of different species

Symbiosis

Two organisms living in direct contact with each other for a brief or long period of time

Sympatric populations

closely related species that are geographically overlapping

Tolerance

does not hinder or promote

Top-down control

Mineral nutrients, temperature, and light control plants (primary producers)--Soil nutrient availability can directly enhance vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting

Trophic Structure

Feeding relationships between organisms

Type I Survivorship

K-selected species (late mortality)

Type II Survivorship

uniform rate of decline

Type III Survivorship

r-selected species (early morality)

Uniform spacing

Competition may cause this pattern, may also result from social interactions

What are the 5 areas of ecological study?

-Organismal: study of physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral mechanisms used by individual organisms to meet ecological needs -Population: how populations interact with their environment, how and why the # of individuals changes over time, the proportion of males to females, age of individuals, how likely they are to reproduce or die (Characteristics: range, spacing pattern, changes in size over time) -Community: Interacting populations of same and different species living within a given area -Ecosystem: study of changes in the community in response to changes in abiotic components of the ecosystems -Landscape: study of energy and matter (including organisms) exchanges between ecosystems

What is a carrying capacity (K)?

The maximum number of individuals in a population that can be supported by a particular habitat over a period of time

What is a population?

A group of individuals of the same species inhabiting the same area

What is ecology?

the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment

What is r defined as?

-Growth rate/ per capita rate of increase -Positive r= population is growing -Negative r=population is declining -r=0 zero population growth (ZPG)

What is the logistic curve equation?

∆N/∆t=rN(K - N)/K (Describes the proportion of unused resources and space in the habitat)

What type of curve shows exponential growth?

J-curve

What type of curve shows logistic growth?

S-curve

When does exponential growth occur?

-Colonizing new habitats -Recovering