MTEL SUBSET III

Population ecology

The study of groups within a species and how they live together in one geographic area

Population

A group of individuals of one species who interact regularly

Population density

The concentration of individuals within a species in a specific place

Dispersion

The geographic arrangement of the individuals within the population

Population growth

A population increase over a given period

Fecundity

How many offspring an individual can have in a lifetime

Limiting factors

Anything that constrains a population’s size or stops it from growing

Density-dependent limiting factors

Limiting factors dependent on population size

Density-independent limiting factors

Limiting factors that are not dependent on population size

Carrying capacity

The number of individuals that a habitat can sustain with the resources available

Exponential growth

A population grows at a rate proportional to its size

Logistic growth

A population is limited to the carrying capacity of its habitat

Community ecology

The study of different organisms living together and influencing each other

Competition

When organisms compete for limited resources

Ecological niche

The sum of all resources a species uses in its environment

Mutualism

Both species benefit from the interaction

Commensalism

One species benefits, the other is neither helped nor harmed

Co-evolution

Interactions between species affect their evolutionary development

Predation

One organism kills another for energy

Herbivory

An organism eats plants or algae for energy

Parasitism

Organisms derive energy from a host, usually harming it

Ecosystem ecology

The study of living and non-living interactions in an ecosystem

Ecological succession

How the makeup of a community changes over time

Primary succession

Organisms populate an area for the first time

Secondary succession

Ecological succession after primary succession

Biomass

The total weight of living things in an ecosystem

Productivity

How much stuff is produced and how quickly it grows back

Trophic structure

Organisms in an ecosystem organized by their feeding relationships

Food web

Shows energy flow in an ecosystem, considering different trophic levels

Bioaccumulation

Gradual accumulation of substances in an organism as it moves up the food chain.