Sections
Key Terms
Key Terms
- age structure
- proportion of population members at specific age ranges
- aggressive display
- visual display by a species member to discourage other members of the same species or different species
- aposematic coloration
- warning coloration used as a defensive mechanism against predation
- Batesian mimicry
- type of mimicry where a non-harmful species takes on the warning colorations of a harmful one
- behavior
- change in an organism’s activities in response to a stimulus
- behavioral biology
- study of the biology and evolution of behavior
- biotic potential (rmax)
- maximal potential growth rate of a species
- birth rate (B)
- number of births within a population at a specific point in time
- camouflage
- avoid detection by blending in with the background.
- carrying capacity (K)
- number of individuals of a species that can be supported by the limited resources of a habitat
- classical conditioning
- association of a specific stimulus and response through conditioning
- climax community
- final stage of succession, where a stable community is formed by a characteristic assortment of plant and animal species
- cognitive learning
- knowledge and skills acquired by the manipulation of information in the mind
- commensalism
- relationship between species wherein one species benefits from the close, prolonged interaction, while the other species neither benefits nor is harmed
- competitive exclusion principle
- no two species within a habitat can coexist when they compete for the same resources at the same place and time
- conditioned behavior
- behavior that becomes associated with a specific stimulus through conditioning
- courtship display
- visual display used to attract a mate
- death rate (D)
- number of deaths within a population at a specific point in time
- demographic-based population model
- modern model of population dynamics incorporating many features of the r- and K-selection theory
- demography
- statistical study of changes in populations over time
- density-dependent regulation
- regulation of population that is influenced by population density, such as crowding effects; usually involves biotic factors
- density-independent regulation
- regulation of populations by factors that operate independent of population density, such as forest fires and volcanic eruptions; usually involves abiotic factors
- distraction display
- visual display used to distract predators away from a nesting site
- Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry
- type of mimicry where a harmful species resembles a less harmful one
- energy budget
- allocation of energy resources for body maintenance, reproduction, and parental care
- environmental disturbance
- change in the environment caused by natural disasters or human activities
- ethology
- biological study of animal behavior
- exponential growth
- accelerating growth pattern seen in species under conditions where resources are not limiting
- fecundity
- potential reproductive capacity of an individual
- fixed action pattern
- series of instinctual behaviors that, once initiated, always goes to completion regardless of changes in the environment
- foraging
- behaviors species use to find food
- foundation species
- species which often forms the major structural portion of the habitat
- habituation
- ability of a species to ignore repeated stimuli that have no consequence
- host
- organism a parasite lives on
- imprinting
- identification of parents by newborns as the first organism they see after birth
- innate behavior
- instinctual behavior that is not altered by changes in the environment
- intersexual selection
- selection of a desirable mate of the opposite sex
- interspecific competition
- competition between species for resources in a shared habitat or environment
- intrasexual selection
- competition between members of the same sex for a mate
- intraspecific competition
- competition between members of the same species
- island biogeography
- study of life on island chains and how their geography interacts with the diversity of species found there
- iteroparity
- life history strategy characterized by multiple reproductive events during the lifetime of a species
- J-shaped growth curve
- shape of an exponential growth curve
- K-selected species
- species suited to stable environments that produce a few, relatively large offspring and provide parental care
- keystone species
- species whose presence is key to maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem and to upholding an ecological community’s structure
- kin selection
- sacrificing one’s own life so that one’s genes will be passed on to future generations by relatives
- kinesis
- undirected movement of an organism in response to a stimulus
- learned behavior
- behavior that responds to changes in the environment
- life history
- inherited pattern of resource allocation under the influence of natural selection and other evolutionary forces
- life table
- table showing the life expectancy of a population member based on its age
- logistic growth
- leveling off of exponential growth due to limiting resources
- mark and recapture
- technique used to determine population size in mobile organisms
- migration
- long-range seasonal movement of animal species
- monogamy
- mating system whereby one male and one female remain coupled for at least one mating season
- mortality rate
- proportion of population surviving to the beginning of an age interval that die during the age interval
- mutualism
- symbiotic relationship between two species where both species benefit
- Müllerian mimicry
- type of mimicry where species share warning coloration and all are harmful to predators
- one-child policy
- China’s policy to limit population growth by limiting urban couples to have only one child or face the penalty of a fine
- operant conditioning
- learned behaviors in response to positive and/or negative reinforcement
- parasite
- organism that uses resources from another species, the host
- pioneer species
- first species to appear in primary and secondary succession
- polyandry
- mating system where one female mates with many males
- polygyny
- mating system where one male mates with many females
- population density
- number of population members divided by the area or volume being measured
- population growth rate
- number of organisms added in each reproductive generation
- population size (N)
- number of population members in a habitat at the same time
- primary succession
- succession on land that previously has had no life
- quadrat
- square made of various materials used to determine population size and density in slow moving or stationary organisms
- r-selected species
- species suited to changing environments that produce many offspring and provide little or no parental care
- reflex action
- action in response to direct physical stimulation of a nerve
- relative species abundance
- absolute population size of a particular species relative to the population sizes of other species within the community
- S-shaped growth curve
- shape of a logistic growth curve
- secondary succession
- succession in response to environmental disturbances that move a community away from its equilibrium
- semelparity
- life history strategy characterized by a single reproductive event followed by death
- signal
- method of communication between animals including those obtained by the senses of smell, hearing, sight, or touch
- species dispersion pattern
- (also, species distribution pattern) spatial location of individuals of a given species within a habitat at a particular point in time
- species richness
- number of different species in a community
- survivorship curve
- graph of the number of surviving population members versus the relative age of the member
- symbiosis
- close interaction between individuals of different species over an extended period of time that impacts the abundance and distribution of the associating populations
- taxis
- directed movement in response to a stimulus
- zero population growth
- steady population size where birth rates and death rates are equal