Unit 2 Bio44 Notes

Organismal Ecology

Study of the ways individual organisms meet the challenges of the abiotic and biotic environments.

Physiological Ecology

Focuses on how organisms are physiologically adapted to their environment.

Behavioral Ecology

Explores how the behavior of individual organisms contributes to their survival and reproductive success.

Population Ecology

Focuses on groups of interbreeding individuals called populations and studies how populations grow and interact with other species.

Community Ecology

Studies how populations of species interact and form functional communities.

Ecosystem Ecology

Describes the flow of energy and chemicals through communities.

Ecosystem

System formed by interactions between a community of organisms and its physical environment.

Replication

Performing an experiment several times to verify results.

Photic Zone

The zone where photosynthesis can occur in an aquatic environment.

Halophytes

Vegetation that has adapted to live in saline soil.

Imprinting

A form of learning in which young animals follow the first moving object they encounter.

Kinesis

A type of movement in response to a stimulus that is not directed toward or away from it.

Taxis

A directed movement toward (positive taxis) or away from (negative taxis) a stimulus.

Optimal Foraging

The behavior that maximizes the benefits of food gathering while minimizing costs.

Altruism

Behavior that appears to benefit others at a cost to oneself.

Kin Selection

Selection for behavior that lowers an individual’s fitness but enhances the reproductive success of relatives.

Demographic Transition

Shift in birth and death rates accompanying development, affecting population growth.

Biomagnification

The tendency of certain chemicals to concentrate in higher trophic levels in food chains.

Detritivores

Consumers that get their energy from detritus, the decomposing material from dead plants and animals.

Intrinsic Rate of Increase (rmax)

The maximum rate of population growth under optimal conditions.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

Fundamental Niche

The potential mode of life of a species with no competition.

Realized Niche

The actual mode of life of a species, determined by competition.

Facilitation in Succession

Process in which early colonizing species make the environment more suitable for later species.

Inhibition in Succession

Process where early colonists prevent colonization by other species.

Tolerance in Succession

Species that neither facilitate nor inhibit later colonists during succession.