ApBio -Unit 8: Ecology

Proximate Cause

refers to the immediate factors that lead to a behavior or physiological response, often focusing on mechanisms and processes.

Innate Behaviors

are instinctive actions are performed correctly the first time, without prior experience or learning.

Learned Behaviors

are actions acquired through experience or conditioning, often improved through repetition and practice.

Ultimate Cause

refers to the evolutionary reasons why a behavior occurs, explaining its contribution to reproductive success and survival.

Fixed Action Patterns

are instinctive sequences of behavioral responses triggered by specific stimuli, often performed to completion without variation.

Stimulus-Response Chain

is a series of connected behavioral responses, where each response is triggered by a specific stimulus.

Directed Movements

are purposeful movements of animals toward or away from specific stimuli, influenced by environmental cues.

Pheromones

are chemical signals released by organisms to influence the behavior of others, often used for communication or mating cues.

Sign Stimulus

is an external cue that triggers a specific behavior or fixed action pattern in an organism.

Migration

is the seasonal movement of species from one environment to another, often for purposes related to breeding or resource availability.

Kinesis

is a type of movement in which an organism changes its speed or direction in response to a stimulus without moving toward or away from it.

Taxis

is a directed movement toward or away from a stimulus, such as light (phototaxis) or chemicals (chemotaxis).

Phototaxis

is the movement of an organism towards (positive) or away from (negative) light sources.

Chemotaxis

refers to the directional movement of an organism toward or away from a chemical stimulus.

Geotaxis

is the movement of an organism in response to gravity, such as roots growing downward (positive geotaxis).

Learning

is the process through which organisms acquire new behaviors or modify existing ones based on experiences.

Imprinting

is a form of rapid learning occurring at a specific life stage, where young animals form attachments or learn characteristics of their parents or environment.

Spatial Learning

is the ability to navigate and remember spatial relationships in the environment, often using cues from the surroundings.

Cognitive Map

is an internal representation of the spatial layout of an environment, used for navigation and understanding position.

Associative Learning

is a learning process in which an organism learns to associate a specific stimulus with a consequence, such as a reward or punishment.

Social Learning

occurs when organisms learn from observing the behavior of others, often seen in complex species with social structures.

Foraging

involves the search for and exploitation of food resources, incorporating strategies influenced by environmental factors.

Altruism

refers to behaviors that benefit others at a personal cost, often observed in social animal species.

Phototropism

is the growth of a plant toward light, driven by differential growth rates on the sides of the plant.

Photoperiodism

is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night, influencing behaviors like flowering or migration.

Metabolic Rate

is the rate at which an organism converts food into energy, impacting growth, reproduction, and overall fitness.

Ecosystem

is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment, including abiotic factors.

Biotic

components refer to the living parts of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.

Abiotic

components are the non-living physical and chemical elements in an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, and water.

Endotherm

are organisms that maintain a constant internal body temperature through metabolic processes, commonly known as warm-blooded animals.

Ectotherm

are organisms that rely on external environmental conditions to regulate their body temperature, often referred to as cold-blooded.

Primary Producer

are organisms, such as plants and algae, that can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

are organisms that cannot produce their own food and depend on consuming other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Primary Consumer

are herbivores that feed directly on primary producers, initiating the energy transfer in a food chain.

Secondary Consumer

are organisms that eat primary consumers, typically carnivores or omnivores that occupy higher trophic levels.

Tertiary Consumer

are top predators that feed on secondary consumers, playing a crucial role in regulating ecological balance.

Decomposer

are organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Food Chain

is a linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients flow as one organism consumes another.

Food Web

is a complex network of interconnected food chains, illustrating the interdependence of various organisms in an ecosystem.

Primary Production

is the rate at which energy is converted into organic matter by primary producers, a foundational process in ecosystems.

GPP (Gross Primary Production)

is the total amount of organic material produced by photosynthesis in a given area over a specific time period.

NPP (Net Primary Production)

is the amount of organic material available to consumers after accounting for the energy used by primary producers for respiration.

Secondary Production

refers to the generation of biomass by heterotrophic organisms in an ecosystem, driven by consumption of organic matter.

Demography

is the statistical study of populations, including density, structure, and changes over time through births, deaths, and migration.

Life Table

is a table that provides age-specific survival and mortality data for a population, used in demographic studies.

Survivorship Curve

is a graph representing the number of individuals of a given age in a population, depicting patterns of survival over time.

Exponential Growth

occurs when the growth rate of a population accelerates, typically seen when resources are abundant.

Life History

refers to the series of changes and stages that an organism undergoes throughout its life, impacting survival and reproduction.

Density-Dependent Regulation

occurs when population growth rates are influenced by the population density, affecting resource availability and competition.

Density-Independent Regulation

refers to factors that affect population size regardless of the population density, such as natural disasters or climate events.

K-Selection

refers to organisms that produce fewer offspring but invest significant parental care and resources to ensure their survival.

R-Selection

describes species that produce many offspring with minimal parental care, allowing for rapid population growth in unstable environments.

Population

is a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific geographic area at a given time.

Population Ecology

is the study of population dynamics, including how populations grow, interact, and are regulated by their environment.

Density

refers to the number of individuals of a species per unit area, influencing resource competition and population dynamics.

Dispersion

describes the pattern of spacing among individuals within a population, which can be clumped, uniform, or random.

Logistic Growth

is a model of population growth characterized by slower growth as the population approaches its carrying capacity due to resource limitations.

Community

is a group of interacting populations of different species living in the same area, forming complex interactions and relationships.

Habitat

is the natural environment in which an organism lives, providing the necessary resources for its survival and reproduction.

Ecological Niche

is the role and position a species has in its environment, encompassing its habitat, resource use, and interactions with other organisms.

Fundamental Niche

refers to the entire set of conditions under which a species can survive and reproduce without competition.

Realized Niche

is the actual conditions and resources that a species uses in the presence of competitors and other interacting species.

Interspecific Interactions

occur between individuals of different species, including competition, predation, mutualism, and parasitism.

Competition

is the struggle between individuals or species for limited resources, impacting population dynamics and community structure.

Niche Partitioning

is the process by which competing species divide resources and habitats to reduce direct competition and coexist.

Predation

is a biological interaction where one organism (the predator) kills and eats another organism (the prey), influencing population dynamics.

Herbivory

is the consumption of plant material by animals, a significant form of interaction that can affect plant populations and community structure.

Symbiosis

is a close ecological relationship between two different species, which can be mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic.

Parasitism

is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other (the host).

Mutualism

is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction, enhancing their survival and reproductive success.

Commensalism

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

Facilitation

is a positive interaction where one species benefits another indirectly, often seen in community dynamics.

Biodiversity

refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, encompassing differences in species, genetic variation, and ecosystem complexity.

Species Richness

is the number of different species represented in a given ecological community, crucial for ecosystem health and resilience.

Relative Abundance

refers to the proportion of each species within a community, indicating biodiversity and ecological balance.

Keystone Species

are crucial for maintaining the structure and balance of an ecosystem, often having a disproportionate impact on their environment.

Ecological Succession

is the gradual process of change in an ecosystem, where one community replaces another over time, leading to mature ecosystems.

Primary Succession

occurs in lifeless areas where no soil exists, such as after a volcanic eruption, starting from bare rock and leading to a climax community.

Secondary Succession

occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an ecosystem but left the soil intact, allowing for faster recovery than primary succession.

Disturbance

refers to a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a marked change in an ecosystem, affecting its structure and function.

Habitat Loss

is the degradation or destruction of natural habitats, significantly impacting biodiversity and species survival.

Overharvesting

is the unsustainable removal of organisms from nature, often leading to population declines and ecosystem disruptions.

Global Change

encompasses both natural and human-induced alterations to Earth's systems, including climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution.

Invasive Species

are non-native organisms that spread rapidly in new environments, often outcompeting native species and disrupting ecosystems.

Biological Factors

refer to aspects of living organisms, including interactions, behaviors, and genetic variations, that influence ecological dynamics.

Pathogens

are microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, that cause disease in hosts, affecting population health and dynamics.

Life History

The changes that an organism goes through its life span

Facilitation

A postive interation where the facilitator mods the environment to benefit another species, improving growth, survival, or reproduction.