| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Anemochores | organisms dispersed by wind |
| Anemohydrochores | organisms dispersed by wind and water |
| Anthropochore | organisms dispersed by humans |
| Barrier | geographic features that block dispersal and colonization |
| Colonization | the expansion of a species and its establishment of a self-sustaining population in a new geographic region |
| Corridor | geographic features that promote dispersal and colonization |
| Diffusion | the expansion of the range of a species along a discrete front |
| Dispersal (active and passive) | the movement of an organism away from its point of origin. Either via locomotion by the organism or it is transported by gravity, wind, water, or other organisms |
| Exponential population growth | the geometric growth of a growth of a population in an environment where there are no limits to population size – dN/dt = rN |
| Filter | avenues of dispersal and colonization that are not equally favorable for all species |
| Great American Interchange | the movement of terrestrial fauna that occurred following the establishment of the Isthmus of Panama |
| Harmonization | when two geographic areas contain the same flora and fauna |
| Hydrochores | organisms dispersed by water |
| Invasion | the colonization of a new region by a species that has been introduced to that region by humans |
| Irruption | episodic explosions in the population size and geographic ranges of insects of animals |
| Jump dispersal | the dispersal of a species across a geographic area that is not occupied by the species |
| Logistic population growth | the S-shaped growth of a population in an environment in which there is a limitation on the ultimate size of the population that can be supported – dN/dt = rN(K-N) |
| Propagule | the state in the life cycle (a plant seed for example), part of an organism (a piece of marram grass which can develop a new set of roots and grow into a full sized grass plant), or group of organisms (a male and female rabbit of mating age) that is required to establish a new reproducing population |
| Samara seeds | seeds with thin winglike structures to aid in wind dispersal |
| Seasonal migration | the annual movements of organisms from one regularly occupied geographic region to another for purposes of avoiding harsh conditions, and/or for feeding and mating |
| Stepping stones | chains of closely distributed islands or discrete areas of similar habitat, such as mountains surrounded by low elevation deserts, that aid in the dispersal of some species |
| Supertramp | species that are particularly well suited to long distance dispersal and successful colonization |
| Sweepstakes routes | geographic routes with low probability of successful dispersal, but which are occasionally crossed by species |
| Waif dispersal events | successful long distance jump dispersal events |
| Zoochores | organisms dispersed by other organisms |
Combine with other sets
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