Openstax Biology - Chapter 45 - Population & Community Ecology

Front 1

age structure

Back 1

proportion of population members at specific age ranges

Front 2

aggressive display

Back 2

visual display by a species member to discourage other members of the same species or different species

Front 3

aposematic coloration

Back 3

warning coloration used as a defensive mechanism against predation

Front 4

Batesian mimicry

Back 4

type of mimicry where a non-harmful species takes on the warning colorations of a harmful one

Front 5

behavior

Back 5

change in an organism’s activities in response to a stimulus

Front 6

biotic potential

Back 6

maximal potential growth rate of a species; also known as rmax

Front 7

birth rate

Back 7

number of births within a population at a specific point in time; also known as B

Front 8

camouflage

Back 8

avoid detection by blending in with the background

Front 9

carrying capacity

Back 9

number of individuals of a species that can be supported by the limited resources of a habitat; also known as K

Front 10

classical conditioning

Back 10

association of a specific stimulus and response through conditioning

Front 11

cognitive learning

Back 11

knowledge and skills acquired by the manipulation of information in the mind

Front 12

commensalism

Back 12

relationship between species wherein one species benefits from the close, prolonged interaction, while the other species neither benefits nor is harmed

Front 13

competitive exclusion principle

Back 13

no two species within a habitat can coexist when they compete for the same resources at the same place and time

Front 14

conditioned behavior

Back 14

behavior that becomes associated with a specific stimulus through conditioning

Front 15

courtship display

Back 15

visual display used to attract a mate

Front 16

death rate

Back 16

number of deaths within a population at a specific point in time; D

Front 17

demographic-based population model

Back 17

modern model of population dynamics incorporating many features of the r- and K-selection theory

Front 18

demography

Back 18

statistical study of changes in populations over time

Front 19

density-dependent regulation

Back 19

regulation of population that is influenced by population density, such as crowding effects; usually involves biotic factors

Front 20

density-independent regulation

Back 20

regulation of populations by factors that operate independent of population density, such as forest fires and volcanic eruptions; usually involves abiotic factors

Front 21

distraction display

Back 21

visual display used to distract predators away from a nesting site

Front 22

energy budget

Back 22

allocation of energy resources for body maintenance, reproduction, and parental care

Front 23

environmental disturbance

Back 23

change in the environment caused by natural disasters or human activities

Front 24

ethology

Back 24

biological study of animal behavior

Front 25

exponential growth

Back 25

accelerating growth pattern seen in species under conditions where resources are not limiting

Front 26

fecundity potential

Back 26

reproductive capacity of an individual

Front 27

fixed action pattern

Back 27

series of instinctual behaviors that, once initiated, always goes to completion regardless of changes in the environment

Front 28

foraging

Back 28

behaviors species use to find food

Front 29

foundation species

Back 29

species which often forms the major structural portion of the habitat

Front 30

habituation

Back 30

ability of a species to ignore repeated stimuli that have no consequence

Front 31

host

Back 31

organism a parasite lives on

Front 32

imprinting

Back 32

identification of parents by newborns as the first organism they see after birth

Front 33

innate behavior

Back 33

instinctual behavior that is not altered by changes in the environment

Front 34

intersexual selection

Back 34

selection of a desirable mate of the opposite sex

Front 35

interspecific competition

Back 35

competition between species for resources in a shared habitat or environment

Front 36

intrasexual selection

Back 36

competition between members of the same sex for a mate

Front 37

intraspecific competition

Back 37

competition between members of the same species

Front 38

island biogeography

Back 38

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

Front 39

iteroparity

Back 39

life history strategy characterized by multiple reproductive events during the lifetime of a species

Front 40

J-shaped growth curve

Back 40

shape of an exponential growth curve

Front 41

K-selected species

Back 41

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

Front 42

keystone species

Back 42

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

Front 43

kin selection

Back 43

sacrificing one’s own life so that one’s genes will be passed on to future generations by relatives

Front 44

kinesis

Back 44

undirected movement of an organism in response to a stimulus

Front 45

learned behavior

Back 45

behavior that responds to changes in the environment

Front 46

life history

Back 46

inherited pattern of resource allocation under the influence of natural selection and other evolutionary forces

Front 47

life table

Back 47

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

Front 48

mark and recapture

Back 48

technique used to determine population size in mobile organisms

Front 49

migration

Back 49

long-range seasonal movement of animal species

Front 50

monogamy

Back 50

mating system whereby one male and one female remain coupled for at least one mating season

Front 51

mortality rate

Back 51

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

Front 52

mutualism

Back 52

symbiotic relationship between two species where both species benefit

Front 53

Müllerian mimicry

Back 53

type of mimicry where species share warning coloration and all are harmful to predators

Front 54

one-child policy

Back 54

China’s policy to limit population growth by limiting urban couples to have only one child or face the penalty of a fine

Front 55

operant conditioning

Back 55

learned behaviors in response to positive and/or negative reinforcement

Front 56

pioneer species

Back 56

first species to appear in primary and secondary succession

Front 57

polyandry

Back 57

mating system where one female mates with many males

Front 58

polygyny

Back 58

mating system where one male mates with many females

Front 59

population density

Back 59

number of population members divided by the area or volume being measured

Front 60

population growth rate

Back 60

number of organisms added in each reproductive generation

Front 61

population size

Back 61

number of population members in a habitat at the same time; also known as N

Front 62

primary succession

Back 62

succession on land that previously has had no life

Front 63

quadrat

Back 63

square made of various materials used to determine population size and density in slow moving or stationary organisms

Front 64

r-selected species

Back 64

species suited to changing environments that produce many offspring and provide little or no parental care

Front 65

reflex action

Back 65

action in response to direct physical stimulation of a nerve

Front 66

relative species abundance

Back 66

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

Front 67

S-shaped growth curve

Back 67

shape of a logistic growth curve

Front 68

secondary succession

Back 68

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

Front 69

semelparity

Back 69

life history strategy characterized by a single reproductive event followed by death

Front 70

species dispersion pattern

Back 70

spatial location of individuals of a given species within a habitat at a particular point in time; also known as species distribution pattern

Front 71

species richness

Back 71

number of different species in a community

Front 72

survivorship curve

Back 72

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

Front 73

symbiosis

Back 73

close interaction between individuals of different species over an extended period of time that impacts the abundance and distribution of the associating populations

Front 74

taxis

Back 74

directed movement in response to a stimulus

Front 75

zero population growth

Back 75

steady population size where birth rates and death rates are equal

Front 76

signal

Back 76

method of communication between animals including those obtained by the senses of smell, hearing, sight, or touching those obtained by the senses of smell, hearing, sight, or touch

Front 77

parasite

Back 77

organism that uses resources from another species, the host

Front 78

logistic growth

Back 78

leveling off of exponential growth due to limiting resources

Front 79

Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry

Back 79

type of mimicry where a harmful species resembles a less harmful one

Front 80

climax community

Back 80

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

Front 81

behavioral biology

Back 81

study of the biology and evolution of behavior