Species Terminology Flashcards
Native species
Species who’s presence in an area are due to natural introduction without human interference
Nonnative species
Species whose presence in an area are because of an introduction by humans. (Not all nonnative species are invasive!)
Endemic species
Species who are only found in one specific area of the planet
(Ex: giant panda in china)
Indicator species
Species whose presence or absence indicates the general health of an ecosystem.
(Ex: frogs & toads are an indicator species for pollution)
Invasive species
Species who can out-compete other species for resources & whose population grows quickly. (In many cases, these are nonnative, but not always)
Scavengers
Species that consume dead organisms that died of natural causes
(Ex: flies & vultures)
Generalist Species
Species who can eat a variety of foods and survive in many different habitats
(Ex: raccoons and cows)
K-Selected Species
Species characterized by long gestation periods, slow maturation, & long life spans
(Ex: elephants and humans)
Keystone Species
A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend on, such that if it were removed it would change the ecosystem drastically
(Ex: beavers)
Pioneer Species
Species that were the first to colonize barren environments
(Ex: bacteria, mosses)
R-Selected Species
Species that emphasizes high growth rates and produce many offspring
(Ex: rabbits, most fish)
Specialist Species
Species that require very unique resources, have a very limited diet, or need a specific condition to survive
(Ex: giant pandas)
Species Diversity
Number of species and abundance of each species that live in a particular area
Species
Related organisms that share common characteristics and are capable of interbreeding
Species Evenness
Description of the distribution of abundance across the species in a community
