AP Bio Unit 8: Ecology

the study of how evolutionary processes shape inherited behavior and the ways that animals respond to a specific stimuli

an organisms response to a stimulus (internal or external)

how a behavior occurs or how it is modified

What was the stimulus to cause the behavior (nurture)

why a behavior occurs in the context of natural selection

how does the behavior help the animal survive and reproduce (nature)

developmentally fixed - instictive; experience during growth has no obvious effect

depend on environmental influence; experience does affect these behaviors

a sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a stimulus

external cue

a stimulus generated and transmuted from one organism to another

examples of signals

when a response to a stimulus serves as the next stimulus for a behavior

movements toward or away from a stimulus

a change in the rate of movement or frequency of turning movements in response to a stimulus

directional movement towards (positive) or away from (negative) a stimulus

movement in response to light

movement in response to chemical signals

movement in response to gravity

the modification of behavior based on specific experiences

a long lasting behavior response to an individual

happens during a sensitive period of development

establishing routines based upon the special social structure of the animals surroundings

the ability to associate 1 environmental factor with another

learning through observation and imitations of observed behaviors

food obtaining behavior; searching for, reaching and capturing food items

selfless behavior - reduces the individuals fitness but increases the fitness of the entire population

a directional response that allows plants to grow towards or away a source of light

allows plants to develop in response to day length; plant only flowers at certain times of the year

the total amount of energy an animal uses in a unit of time

can be mesured in calories, heat loss, or amount of O2/CO2 used/produced

the sum of all the organisms living in a given area an the abiotic factors they interact with

living or once living components of the environment

non-living physical and chemical properties of the environment

use thermal energy from metabolism to maintain body temperature

use external sources to regulate body temp (ie sun/shade)

use light energy to synthesize organic compounds

rely on autotrophs because they cannot make their own food

the amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy

total primary production in an ecosystem

GPP - the energy used by primary producers for resp.

the amount of chemical energy in a consumers food that is converted to new biomass

transfer is at about 10% efficienty

a group of individuals of the same species living in an area

the pattern of spreading among individuals in a population

individuals gather in patches

evenly spread individuals in a population

unpredictable spacing

the study of vital statistics of a population and how they change overtime

an age specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

low death rate during early/middle life, and a high death rate later in life

constant death rate over the lifespan of the organism

high death rate early in life lower death rate fro those that survive

a population living under ideal conditions grows rapidly (J-shaped curve)

the per capita rate of increase approaches 0 as population size nears its carrying capacity (S shaped curve)

the traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction (when, how often, how many)

selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density

seen in high density population that are close to carrying capacity (K)

selection for life history traits that max reproductive success

seen in low density population with little competition

as a population increases, factors can slow or stop growth by lowering BR and raising the death rate

factors that exert their influence on population size but the birth and death rate does not change

-/- relationship where individuals of different species compete for limited resources

+/- relationship where species kills and eats other species

+/- relationship where an organism eats parts of a plant or alge

where 2 or more species live in direct contact with one another

+/+ or +/0 where 1 species has a a positive affect on the survival and reproduction of another species

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

the number of different species

the proportion of each species of all the individuals in the community

calculate diversity based on species richness and relative abundance and relative abundance

not usually abundant, but other species in the ecosystem rely on them because of their important ecological niches

an event that changes a community by removing an organism from it or by altering resource accessibility

the gradual process by which the species composition of a community develops overtime after a disturbance

a series of changes on an entirely new (previously lifeless) habitat that has been colonied

a series of events that clears an existing community but leaves the soil intact

a non-native species that can occupy a wide range of habitats and complete exclude native species from these habitats

large scale factors that can contribute to a range of diversity observed