Population Dynamics and Species Interactions Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is a population?
The same members of the same species living together in the ecosystem.
What are the factors that affect population size?
Birth
Death
Immigration
Emigration
What is an open population?
Living things can come and go, most natural ecosystems are open populations.
What is a closed population?
Emigration and Immigration are not occurring, ecosystems that are naturally isolated.
Can population growth continue forever.
Population growth in an ecosystem cannot continue forever.
What are limiting factors?
The conditions that determine the maximum size of a population.
What is a niche?
A niche is an organisms job, role, or behavior.
What is the Competitive Exclusion Principle?
Two similar species can’t share the exact same niche long term.
How can two species interact?
Competition
Predation/ Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalism
What is competition?
When two organisms have similar niches, they compete for resources.
What is the difference between Intraspecific and Interspecific competition?
Intraspecific competition - between members of the same species.
Interspecific competition - between members of different species
What is predation?
When an organism itself is the food source of another.
What is mutualism?
An interaction where both organisms benefit off each other.
What is commensalism?
An interaction where one organism benefits but the other is unaffected (neither benefits nor is harmed)
What is Equilibrium?
Ecosystems eventually reach a stable state called Equilibrium, populations and interaction are balanced but not equal.
