AP Bio - Unit 8 Ecology

concerned with the adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history

The way an organism reacts to changes in its internal condition or external environment.

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

immediate genetic, physiological, neurological, and developmental mechanisms that determine how an individual is behaving at a particular time

evolutionary explanations for behavior

an inherited behavior that does not depend on the environment or experience

a behavior that has been learned from experience or observation

A sequence of behavioral acts that is essentially unchangeable and usually carried to completion once initiated.

movement from one place to another for improved survival or reproduction; can be triggered by environmental cues such as the sun's position or Earth's magnetic field

a stimulus transmitted from one animal to another

Chemical signals released by an animal that communicate information and affect the behavior of other animals of the same species.

the response to each stimulus is itself the stimulus for the next behavior

changing body position

movements towards or away from a stimulus

A simple change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimuli; non-directional

Movement toward (positive) or away (negative) from a stimulus.

movement in response to light

movement by a cell or organism in reaction to a chemical stimulus

movement in response to gravity

a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

the establishment of a memory that reflects the environment's spatial structure

linking two stimuli, or events, that occur together

process of altering behavior by observing and imitating the behavior of others

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Behavior associated with recognizing, searching for, capturing, and consuming food.

seeking and attracting mates, choosing among potential mates, competing for mates

marriage to a single mate

having more than one spouse at a time

A form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates.

Differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species.

Behavior that tends to increase the fitness of the individual and the survival of the population.

action in which an organism helps another at its own expense

Growth of a plant shoot toward or away from light.

A physiological response to photoperiod, the relative lengths of night and day.

interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)

sharp spines, thorns, sticky hairs, and tough leaves

production of toxic or distasteful compounds

An external sensory cue that triggers a fixed action pattern by an animal.

A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

nonliving parts of an ecosystem

The principle of conservation of energy. Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

chemical elements are continuously recycled in the environment

Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe.

results in energy storage or growth of an organism

results in loss of mass and eventual death of an organism

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

calories, heat loss, or by the amount of oxygen consumed (or CO2 produced)

larger surface area to volume ratio

smaller surface area to volume ratios

An organism that is internally warmed by a heat-generating metabolic process

an animal whose body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings

Each step in a food chain or food web

an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

consumer that feeds directly on producers

carnivores that eat herbivores

a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers.

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs.

The total primary production of an ecosystem.

the gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration.

Amount of chemical energy in consumers' food that is converted to new biomass.

around 10% efficiency

Matter is constantly cycled between living and nonliving parts of the environment

water is essential for all life and influences the rate of ecosystem processes

carbon is essential for life and required in the formation of organic compounds

nitrogen is important for the formation of amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids

phosphorus is important for the formation of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and ATP (energy)

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time

Number of individuals per unit area

Keep track of how many of something there are.

counting small areas, average the areas, and use that to estimate total population size

the pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the population

Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are aggregate in patches

Distribution where populations are spaced evenly

organisms arranged in no particular pattern

The scientific study of population characteristics.

an age-specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

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

constant death rate over the lifespan of the organism

high death rate early in life and lower death rate for those that survive early life

tells us that, under ideal conditions, the future size of the population depends on the current size of the population, the intrinsic rate of the population, and the amount of time over which the population grows

a growth model that describes a population whose growth is initially exponential, but slows as the population approaches the carrying capacity of the environment

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Traits that affect an organism's schedule of reproduction and survival.

-The age at which reproduction begins

-How often the organism reproduces

-How many offspring are produced per reproductive episode

density-dependent selection, selects for life history traits that are sensitive to population density

Selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded environments; also called density-independent selection.

the regulation of population in which birth and death rates are dependent on population size

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

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

A specific role of a species within an ecosystem, including its use of resources, and relationships with other species.

The niche species could potentially occupy with no limiting factors

Part of a species fundamental niche that it actually uses, limited by competition.