AP Biology Ecology Unit

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts from the AP Biology Ecology Unit.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species in the same area at the same time.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of an environment, such as sunlight, temperature, precipitation, and soil nutrients.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an environment that affect populations, including prey, competitors, and predators.

K-selected Species

Species that reproduce later in life, have few offspring, and invest heavily in raising their young.

r-selected Species

Species that reproduce early, have many offspring, and provide little or no parental care.

Survivorship Curve

A graph showing the number of individuals surviving at each age for a given species.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that continues until it reaches the carrying capacity, characterized by an S-shaped curve.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum population size that the environment can sustain without degradation.

Habitat

The natural environment where a species lives.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Community Ecology

The study of interactions among all populations in a particular environment.

Niche

An organism's ecological role, including its habitat and its relations with other organisms.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

The principle stating that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist at constant population values.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two different species.

Altruistic Behavior

Behavior that reduces an individual's fitness while increasing the fitness of another individual.

Eutrophication

The process by which nutrient runoff, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, leads to an increase in algal blooms, which deplete oxygen in water.

Biomagnification

The process where the concentration of a substance increases as it moves up the food chain.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that, when introduced to a new area, grow exponentially and outcompete native species.

Primary Succession

A type of ecological succession that begins in lifeless areas without soil.

Secondary Succession

A type of ecological succession that occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an existing community but left the soil intact.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, defined by how energy is obtained and transferred among organisms.

Energy Transfer Efficiency

The percentage of energy that is passed from one trophic level to the next in a food chain.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

Actions such as habitat destruction and pollution that disrupt the dynamic homeostasis of ecosystems.

Climate Change

Long-term alteration in temperature and typical weather patterns due to human activities.