BIOL 1010 Chapter 19 terms (ecology)

Question 1

demography

Answer 1

the statistical study of changes in populations over time

Question 2

life table

Answer 2

a table showing the life expectancy of a population member based on its age

Question 3

population size

Answer 3

the number of individuals in a population

Question 4

population density

Answer 4

the number of population members divided by the area being measured

Question 5

quadrat technique

Answer 5

a square within which a count of individuals is made that is combined with other such counts to determine population size and density in slow moving or stationary organisms

Question 6

mark and recapture technique

Answer 6

a method used to determine population size in mobile organisms

Question 7

species distribution pattern

Answer 7

the distribution of individuals within a habitat at a given point in time

Question 8

mortality rate

Answer 8

the proportion of population surviving to the beginning of an age interval that dies during that age interval

Question 9

survivorship curve

Answer 9

a graph of the number of surviving population members versus the relative age of the member

Question 10

type 1 survivorship curve

Answer 10

death primarily occurs in the older years (humans)

Question 11

type 2 survivorship curve

Answer 11

death at any age is equally probable. (birds)

Question 12

type 3 survivorship curve

Answer 12

very few survive the younger years, but after a certain age, individuals are much more likely to survive (trees, fish, dandelions)

Question 13

exponential growth

Answer 13

an accelerating growth pattern seen in populations where resources are not limiting

Question 14

logistical growth

Answer 14

the leveling off of exponential growth due to limiting resources

Question 15

J-shaped growth curve

Answer 15

the shape of an exponential growth curve

Question 16

death rate

Answer 16

“D”

Question 17

birth rate

Answer 17

“B”

Question 18

population size (variable)

Answer 18

“N”

Question 19

zero population growth

Answer 19

the steady population size where birth rates and death rates are equal

Question 20

intraspecific competition

Answer 20

the competition among members of the same species

Question 21

density-dependent factors

Answer 21

disease, predation, competition for resources

Question 22

density-independent factors

Answer 22

natural disasters, weather

Question 23

K-selected species

Answer 23

a species suited to stable environments that produce a few, relatively large offspring and provide parental care (elephants)

Question 24

R-selected species

Answer 24

a species suited to changing environments that produce many offspring and provide little or no parental care (fruit fly)

Question 25

age structure

Answer 25

the distribution of the proportion of population members in each age class

Question 26

one child policy

Answer 26

a policy in China to limit population growth by limiting urban couples to have only one child or face a penalty of a fin

Question 27

mimicry

Answer 27

an adaptation in which an organism looks like another organism that is dangerous, toxic, or distasteful to its predators

Question 28

competitive exclusion principle

Answer 28

no two species within a habitat can coexist indefinitely when they compete for the same resources at the same time and place (aka niche)

Question 29

symbiotic relationship

Answer 29

close, long-term interactions between individuals of different species

Question 30

commensal relationship

Answer 30

occurs when one species benefits from a close prolonged interaction, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed

Question 31

mutualism

Answer 31

two species benefit from their interaction

Question 32

parasite

Answer 32

organism that feeds off another without immediately killing the organism it is feeding on

Question 33

host

Answer 33

the organism being fed upon by a parasite

Question 34

species richness

Answer 34

the number of different species in a community

Question 35

island biogeography

Answer 35

the study of life on island chains and how their geography interacts with the diversity of species found there

Question 36

relative species abundance

Answer 36

the absolute population size of a particular species relative to the population size of other species within the community

Question 37

foundation species

Answer 37

a species which often forms the major structural portion of the habitat

Question 38

keystone species

Answer 38

a species whose presence is key to maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem and to upholding an ecological community's structure

Question 39

community dynamics

Answer 39

the changes in community structure and composition over time

Question 40

environmental disturbances

Answer 40

a change in the environment caused by natural disasters or human activities

Question 41

primary succession

Answer 41

the succession on land that previously has had no life

Question 42

secondary succession

Answer 42

the succession in response to environmental disturbances that move a community away from its equilibrium

Question 43

pioneer species

Answer 43

the first species to appear in primary and secondary succession

Question 44

climax community

Answer 44

the final stage of succession, where a stable community is formed by a characteristic assortment of plant and animal species