Ecology: Individuals, Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems

These flashcards cover essential concepts in ecology related to individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems, providing a solid foundation for understanding ecological interactions and classifications.

What is ecology?

Ecology is the scientific study of the interaction of organisms with their environments.

What are abiotic factors?

Abiotic factors are nonliving factors affecting ecosystems, such as light, temperature, nutrients, and water.

What are biotic factors?

Biotic factors are living factors in an environment, including other organisms.

Define a population in ecological terms.

A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, capable of interbreeding.

What is a community in ecology?

A community is a collection of interacting populations within an ecosystem.

What are key components of an ecosystem?

An ecosystem includes all organisms in a given area along with abiotic factors with which they interact.

What is the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche?

A fundamental niche describes ideal environmental conditions without limiting factors, while a realized niche is the range of conditions under which a species actually lives, influenced by competition and adaptation.

What is carrying capacity?

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size an environment can sustain based on limited resources.

What is population density?

Population density is the number of individuals per unit area.

What are r-strategists?

R-strategists are species that grow rapidly, mature early, produce many offspring with little parental care, and are adapted to unstable environments.

What are K-strategists?

K-strategists are species that have longer lifespans, grow more slowly, produce fewer young, but provide greater parental care, adapted to stable environments.

What is mutualism?

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

What is commensalism?

Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

What is parasitism?

Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other.

What is the significance of keystone species?

Keystone species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, often disproportionately influencing their environment.

How does human activity affect biodiversity?

Human activity threatens biodiversity through overharvesting, habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and introducing invasive species.

Define a habitat.

A habitat is the location in which a community, species, population, or organism lives, fulfilling all environmental requirements for survival.

What tools do taxonomists use to classify organisms?

Taxonomists use dichotomous keys, specimen comparisons, and DNA surveys to classify and identify organisms.