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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is demography? |
The study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time; specifically births and death rates |
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What is a cohort? |
A cohort is a group of individuals of the same age that you study until all of the individuals are dead |
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What is a type I survivorship curve? |
Flat at the start, reflection low death rates in early and middle age, then declines steeply in old age. (humans). |
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What is a type II survivorship curve? |
Intermediate, with a constant death rate over the organism's life span |
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What is a type III survivorship curve? |
Drops sharply at the beginning with infant deaths (like fish) and flattens out. Common in animals that have loads of babies. |
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What is a stair-stepped survivorship curve? |
Factors cause increased mortality for a while (like when crabs are molting and vulnerable), then decreased mortality (when they get their protective exoskeleton), then the process repeats. |
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Equation for exponential growth |
(difference in population size) / (difference in time) = (maximum rate for the species)(population size) ; dN / dt = rmaxN |
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What is per capita rate of increase? |
Number of offspring per unit of time by an average number of the population. |
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What is the Allee effect? |
Individuals may have a more difficult time surviving or reproducing if the population size is too small (single plant can be damaged by excessive wind if standing alone). |
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What is a life history? |
The combined traits that affect an organism's schedule of reproduction and survival. |
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What is semelparity? |
A single opportunity to reproduce on a huge level. Called "big bang" reproduction |
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What is iteoparity? |
Reproducing multiple times. Usually makes bigger babies and parents have more time and energy to nurture. May be favoured in more dependable environments. |
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What is another way to say "population dynamics?" |
Population fluctuation |
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What is a metapopulation? |
When a number of local populations are linked - immigration & emigration. |
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What is zero population growth? |
High birth rate - high death rate or Low birth rate - low death rate |
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What is resource partitioning? |
Making niches differ slightly so there is not competition for the exact same resource (same role in ecosystem) and two species can coexist in the same community. Without this one species will go extinct in something called competitive exclusion. |
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What is cryptic coloration? |
Camoflauge |
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What is aposematic coloration? |
Bright warning colours, like in poisonous frogs. |
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What is Batesian Mimicry? |
When a harmless species mimics a harmful one. |
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What is mullerian mimicry? |
When two or more unpalatable species resemble each other, making it even more likely that a predator will attempt to eat it. |
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What are parasitoids? |
Parasites that lay their eggs on or in a host, so their larvae can feed off the host. |
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What is mycorrhizae? |
When fungi hang out at the roots of trees to make more water and nutrients go to the tree roots, then the plant gives the fungi carbohydrates from photosynthesis. Symbiotic relationship. |
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What is the difference between obligate mutualism and facultative mutualism? |
Obligate mutualism indicates one or both of the organisms in a symbiotic relationship cannot survive without the other. Facultative mutualism indicates they can survive independently, but do well together. |
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What is commensalism? |
When a symbiotic relationship benefits one of the organisms, but neither benefits nor harms the other. |
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What is facilitation? |
When a species can benefit another without being in direct contact. |
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What is relative abundance? |
The proportion each species represents of all individuals in the community. |
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Route of trophic levels / food chain |
Primary Producers / Plants > Primary consumers / Herbivores > Secondary consumers / carnivores > Decomposers |
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What is Ecological succession? |
When a big disturbance happens and the disturbed area is colonized by different species, which are then replaced, which are then replaced, etc. |
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What is Primary Succession? |
When the area initially colonized is practically lifeless. |
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What is secondary succession? |
When an existing community is cleared out by some disturbance, but the soil is left intact. |
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What is a zoonotic disease? |
A disease that spreads from animals to humans |
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What are disease vectors? |
An intermediate species, like a parasite, that transfers the illness from an infected animal to a human. |
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What is eutrophication? |
Added nutrients causing cyanobacteria to grow rapidly and make the air less clear + have less oxygen, which kills many fish species. |
