Marine Ecology Terms & Concepts for Exam #3

A collection of vocabulary flashcards derived from the key concepts and terms discussed in the Marine Ecology lecture, focusing on topics relevant to the upcoming exam.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition among individuals of the same species for limited resources.

Demographic Rates

Rates that describe population dynamics, including gains from births and immigration vs. losses from deaths and emigration.

Logistic Growth Model

A model that describes how a population's growth rate changes as it approaches its carrying capacity.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Fundamental Niche

The full range of environmental conditions under which a species can survive and reproduce.

Realized Niche

The actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions.

Keystone Species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the interaction.

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent.

Gonochoristic

A reproductive strategy in which individuals are either male or female throughout their lives.

Settlement Cues

Environmental signals that trigger the settlement of larvae onto a surface.

Disturbance

Any event that disrupts the structure of an ecosystem, community, or population.

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

The hypothesis suggesting that moderate levels of disturbance can foster greater diversity.

Climate Change

Long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Ecosystem Engineers

Species that significantly modify their environment, creating new habitats for other organisms.

Succession

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

Facilitation

A process in which one species increases the establishment or survival of another.