bio exam 4; ecology

Behavior

The internally coordinated response of an organism to internal or external stimuli; the way an organism changes its activity to interact with its environment

Classical conditioning

A process where behavior can be modified through experience

Conditioned reflex

A type of associative learning where a natural response becomes associated with an unrelated stimulus

Proximate questions

"How?" questions in animal behavior that focus on mechanisms (what signals elicit behavior) and ontogeny (how behavior changes throughout life)

Ultimate questions

"Why?" questions in animal behavior that focus on adaptive value (how behavior helps survival) and evolution (how older generations contributed to the behavior)

Rovers

Fruit fly larvae that travel while feeding

Sitters

Fruit fly larvae that stay near a food patch

Critical period

A sensitive developmental stage when learning must take place or a functional behavior will never be expressed

Imprinting

A learning process used for parent-offspring recognition

Behavioral plasticity

The ability to modify behavior when environmental conditions change

Ecology

The study of the interaction between organisms and their environment, including both biotic and abiotic factors

Weather

Short-term meteorological conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, occurring on a geographically limited scale

Climate

Large-scale (continental or greater) meteorological trends that occur over long periods of time

Greenhouse effect

The results from the absorption of solar radiation by the earth and its atmosphere

Upwellings

Cold, nutrient-rich water that rises to the surface along continental coasts, produced by ocean topography and wind patterns

Heat islands

Urban areas where buildings and pavement absorb and retain heat, making cities warmer than surrounding rural areas

Biogeography

The scientific study of the distribution and diversity of life on earth

Terrestrial biomes

Regions with organisms adapted to specific climates, determined by global patterns of temperature and precipitation

Population

A group of individuals of the same species in a particular area that have the potential to interbreed

Population dynamics

The changes in populations over space and time

Metapopulations

Groups of populations connected by dispersal

Dispersion patterns

The spatial arrangement of individuals within a population, which can be uniform, random, or clumped

Intraspecific competition

Competition for resources by individuals of the same species

Interspecific interactions

Interactions among individuals of different species, such as predation, competition, and mutualism

Demography

The study of changes in population size over time

Intrinsic growth rate (r)

The maximum growth rate of a population under ideal conditions, calculated as birth rate minus death rate (b−d)

Density-independent factors

Factors that limit population growth regardless of population size, such as natural disasters and extreme weather

Density-dependent factors

Factors that limit population growth with effects that change based on population size, such as limiting resources, predation, and pathogens

Carrying capacity (K)

The maximum population size that can be supported by the environment

Life history

The lifetime pattern of growth, reproduction, and survival

Survivorship curves

Graphs depicting the proportion of individuals surviving over time

Trade-offs

Situations where investments in one component of fitness decrease another component of fitness

Coevolution

When two or more species affect each other’s evolution

Carnivory

A trophic interaction where one animal species captures and consumes another animal species

Herbivory

A trophic interaction where an animal feeds on plants; this rarely kills the plant but reduces its fitness

Parasitism

A trophic interaction where a parasite benefits at the expense of a host species

Competition

A non-trophic interaction occurring when two or more species use the same limiting resource; it has a negative effect on both parties

Mutualism

A species interaction where two or more species benefit from interacting

Commensalism

A species interaction where one species benefits and the other is unaffected

Crypsis

Camouflage used as a defensive strategy by prey to avoid detection

Batesian mimic

A mimicry system where a harmless species resembles a dangerous or unpalatable one, using a deceptive signal

Müllerian mimics

A mimicry system where two or more dangerous species resemble each other, providing honest signals to predators

Microparasites

Tiny parasites such as bacteria, viruses, and protists that often act as pathogens causing disease

Macroparasites

Larger parasites such as worms and insects

Ectoparasites

Parasites that live on the outside of their host

Endoparasites

Parasites that live inside their host

Interference competition

Direct active interference with another species' access to a resource

Exploitative competition

Indirect competition where species depress each other through the use of a shared resource

Competitive exclusion

When one species outcompetes another for a limiting resource, leading to the local loss of the inferior competitor

Competitive coexistence

When species reduce or avoid direct competition, allowing them to persist in the same area

Resource partitioning

When species use different parts of the same resource, reducing competition and enabling coexistence

Character displacement

The evolution of differences in shared traits between competing species where they occur together, facilitating coexistence

Community

A group of species living together at the same place and time

Taxonomic affinity

A subset of a community defined by species relatedness (e.g. all amphibians)

g

, all amphibians)

Guild

A subset of a community defined by species that use the same resources (e.g. all pollinators)

g

, all pollinators)

Functional group

A subset of a community defined by species that function in similar ways (e.g. all species that fix nitrogen)

g

, all species that fix nitrogen)

Food webs

Representations of the trophic or energetic connections among species in a community

Species diversity

A measure that combines the number of species (species richness) and their relative abundances (species evenness)

Species richness

The number of species in a community

Species evenness

The relative abundance of each species in a community

Keystone species

Species that have strong community-wide effects despite their small size and abundance, typically through trophic interactions

Foundation species

Species that have strong community-wide effects due to their large size or high abundance

Ecosystem engineers

Species that create or modify major aspects of the physical environment for themselves and other species

Trophic cascades

Indirect effects that ripple through a community triggered by strong feeding interactions at one trophic level

Ecosystem

Communities of organisms interacting with their physical and chemical environment

Primary production

The process of fixing energy into an ecosystem via photosynthesis and chemosynthesis by autotrophs (plants, algae, bacteria)

Secondary production

The rate of biomass accumulation by consumers

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The rate at which energy is captured and assimilated by producers

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The rate at which producer biomass is gained from assimilating energy, calculated as GPP minus respiration

Biodiversity

The diversity of life on earth, categorized by genetic, species, and ecological diversity

Genetic diversity

Variations in the genes among individuals of the same species

Ecological diversity

The variety of habitats, niches, trophic levels, and community interactions

Ecosystem services

The instrumental values and benefits that ecosystems provide to humans

Would you like me to create flashcards for these terms to help you study? you missed terms like autotrophs, etcs

I apologize for missing those terms

Here is the full, comprehensive list of terms and definitions extracted from all the provided slide decks

Animal Behavior Behavior

Classical conditioning

A process where behavior can be modified through experience

Conditioned reflex

A type of associative learning where a natural response becomes associated with an unrelated stimulus

Proximate questions

"How?" questions focusing on mechanisms (signals eliciting behavior) and ontogeny

Ontogeny

How behavior changes throughout an animal’s life

Ultimate questions

"Why?" questions focusing on adaptive value (survival help) and evolution

Rovers

Fruit fly larvae that travel while feeding

Sitters

Fruit fly larvae that stay near a food patch

Critical period

A sensitive developmental stage when learning must take place or a functional behavior will never be expressed

Imprinting

A learning process used for parent-offspring recognition

Energetic costs

The calories spent during a behavior

Risk costs

The chance of injury or predation associated with a behavior

Opportunity costs

The time lost that could have been spent on other activities

Behavioral plasticity

The ability to modify behavior when environmental conditions change

The Physical Environment Ecology

The study of the interaction between organisms and their environment, including both biotic and abiotic factors

Weather

Short-term meteorological conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, occurring on a geographically limited scale

Climate

Large-scale (continental or greater) meteorological trends that occur over long periods of time

Greenhouse effect

The results from the absorption of solar radiation by the earth and its atmosphere

Topography

Physical features of the land, such as mountains and plains, that impact regional climate

Rain shadows

Dry areas on the leeward side of mountain ranges caused by the loss of moisture as air rises over the peaks