Population and Community Ecology

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture on Population and Community Ecology, including definitions, types of curves, and ecological principles.

What is the definition of a population in ecology?

A population is all individuals of a species living in the same general area.

What is demography?

Demography is the statistical study of population dynamics.

What affects population density?

Population density is affected by births and immigration (which increase it) and deaths and emigration (which decrease it).

What are the three types of population dispersion?

Uniform, random, and clumped distribution.

What is a Type 1 survivorship curve?

A Type 1 curve shows low death rates among all but old individuals, typical in humans and some mammals.

What is the difference between semelparity and iteroparity?

Semelparity is reproducing only once during a lifetime, while iteroparity is reproducing multiple times.

What is carrying capacity in population ecology?

Carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population size that an environment can support.

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

The competitive exclusion principle states that two species cannot occupy the same niche in a habitat.

What is mutualism in symbiotic relationships?

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from their interaction.

What does the term biodiversity refer to?

Biodiversity describes a community’s biological complexity measured by the number of different species and their relative abundance.