Population Ecology and Biome Distribution

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from lecture notes and textbook slides covering population ecology, climate, biomes, and species distribution.

Ecology

The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment, which determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.

Global Ecology

The study of the biosphere, or global ecosystem, examining the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the planet.

Landscape Ecology

The study focusing on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple connected ecosystems.

Ecosystem Ecology

The study emphasizing energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components in an area.

Community Ecology

The study dealing with the whole array of interacting populations of different species in a given area.

Population Ecology

The study focusing on factors that affect population size, density, and distribution over time.

Organismal Ecology

The study of how an organism's structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment.

Macroclimate

Climate patterns analyzed on the global, regional, and landscape levels.

Abiotic Factors

The nonliving chemical and physical attributes of the environment, such as temperature, light, water, oxygen, salinity, rocks, and soil.

Biotic Factors

The living components of the environment, consisting of other organisms that interact through predation, herbivory, competition, mutualism, parasitism, and disease.

Trade Winds

Global wind patterns caused by Earth's rotation that blow consistently from east to west in the tropics.

Westerlies

Global wind patterns caused by Earth's rotation that blow consistently from west to east in temperate zones.

Rain Shadow

A dry area on the leeward side of a mountain range created when rising air drops moisture on the windward side and absorbs moisture as it descends on the leeward side.

Ecotone

The area of intergradation or transition between adjacent terrestrial biomes, which may be wide or narrow.

Northern Coniferous Forest

Also known as taiga, the largest terrestrial biome on Earth, characterized by cold winters, $30\,cm$ to $70\,cm$ of annual precipitation, and cone-bearing evergreen trees like pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock.

Permafrost

A permanently frozen layer of soil found in the arctic tundra that restricts the growth of plant roots.

Oligotrophic Lake

A lake that is nutrient-poor and generally oxygen-rich, with low organic production.

Eutrophic Lake

A lake that is nutrient-rich and often depleted of oxygen in deeper water or when ice-covered in winter.

Photic Zone

The upper layer of an aquatic biome where there is sufficient light penetration for photosynthesis.

Aphotic Zone

The deeper layer of an aquatic biome where little or no sunlight penetrates.

Pelagic Zone

The open water region of an aquatic ecosystem, comprising the photic and aphotic zones together.

Benthic Zone

The organic and inorganic sediment layer at the bottom of all aquatic biomes.

Benthos

The collective communities of organisms that live in or on the benthic zone of an aquatic environment.

Thermocline

A thermal boundary layer in oceans and most lakes that separates the warm upper layer from the cold deeper water.

Dispersal

The movement of individuals or gametes away from centers of high population density or from their area of origin.

Density

The number of individuals of a population per unit area or volume.

Dispersion

The pattern of spacing among individuals within the geographical boundaries of a population.

Cohort

A group of individuals of the same age followed from birth to death for demographic study.

Type I Survivorship Curve

A curve characterized by low death rates during early and middle life, followed by a sharp increase in death rates among older age groups.

Type II Survivorship Curve

A curve characterized by a constant mortality rate over the organism's entire lifespan.

Type III Survivorship Curve

A curve characterized by high death rates for the young, but lower death rates for the few survivors that reach maturity.

Exponential Population Growth

Population growth under idealized, unlimited conditions, producing a J-shaped curve modeled by $\frac{dN}{dt} = r_{max}N$.

Carrying Capacity

Symbolized by $K$, the maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain over time.

Logistic Population Growth Model

A model where the per capita rate of increase slows as the population size approaches carrying capacity ($K$), producing an S-shaped curve modeled by $\frac{dN}{dt} = r_{max}N \left(\frac{K - N}{K}\right)$.

K-selection

Density-dependent selection that favors life history traits advantageous at high population densities near carrying capacity.

r-selection

Density-independent selection that favors life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded, low-density environments.

Metapopulation

A group of spatially separated local populations of the same species linked by immigration and emigration.