Community Ecology and Biodiversity

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and key concepts related to community ecology, biodiversity, and ecological interactions in preparation for your exam.

One Health

An approach to health that recognizes the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health.

Ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction between a community of organisms and its physical environment.

Species Diversity

The relative role of species in a community, calculated based on factors such as abundance and biomass.

Succession

Gradual and continuous change in species composition and community structure over time.

Climax Community

A stable community where species composition remains relatively unchanged unless disturbed.

Primary Succession

Ecological succession that occurs on newly exposed sites not previously occupied by soil and vegetation.

Secondary Succession

Succession that occurs on a site that has already supported life but has undergone a disturbance.

Food Web

A complex model of feeding relationships in an ecosystem consisting of interconnected food chains.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of life forms within a given ecosystem, region, or on the entire planet.

Species Richness

The number of different species represented in a given ecological community.

R-selected species

Species that produce many offspring with low parental investment, typically found in unstable environments.

K-selected species

Species that produce fewer offspring with high parental investment, typically found in stable environments.

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food from inorganic sources, typically through photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain food by consuming other organisms; includes herbivores and carnivores.

Pyramid of Biomass

A graphical representation showing the total biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Species-Area Hypothesis

The idea that larger areas can support more species because they can accommodate larger populations and habitats.

Shannon Diversity Index

A mathematical formula used to measure the diversity of species in a community based on abundance.

Biomass Production

The amount of organic matter created by primary producers in an ecosystem.

Nutrient Limitation

A condition in which the growth of organisms is restricted by the availability of essential nutrients.

Ecological Succession

The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.

Facilitation

A mechanism in ecology where early colonizing species help create suitable conditions for later species.

Inhibition

A process where earlier colonizing species suppress the growth of later species in an ecological succession.

Tolerance

A model of succession where any species can establish, but the climax community develops in a somewhat orderly fashion.

Equilibrium Model of Island Biogeography

A theory that describes how the number of species on an island tends toward a balance determined by immigration and extinction rates.