Ch. 5 Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology
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48 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 adaptation | inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival |
| adaptive trait | a heritable trait that enhances an individuals fitness; an evolutionary adaption |
| age distribution | A model used in population geography that describes the ages and number of males and females within a given population; also called a population pyramid. |
| age structure | the relative number of individuals of each age in a population |
| artificial selection | selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with desired genetic traits |
| biodiversity | the number of different species in a given area |
| biological diversity | The variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each. |
| birth rate | the ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area |
| carrying capacity | largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support |
| community | a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other |
| community ecology | The study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization |
| Darwin, Charles | Biologist who developed theory of evolution of species (1859); argued that all living species evolved into their present form through the ability to adapt in a struggle for survival. |
| death rate | the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of that area |
| density-dependent | limiting factors that affect a population according to a change in population density. |
| density-independent | limiting factors that affect the population, regardless of the size(abiotic) |
| ecosystem ecology | the study of energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among the various biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. |
| ecosystem | a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment |
| ecotourism | tourism to exotic or threatened ecosystems to observe wildlife or to help preserve nature |
| emigration | movement of individuals out of an area |
| endemic | native to or confined to a certain region |
| evolution | the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms |
| exponential growth | growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate |
| extinction | disappearance of a species from all parts of its geographical range |
| generalists | a species with a broad niche that can tolerate a wide range of conditions and can use a variety of resources |
| growth rate | the amount by which a population's size changes in a given time |
| habitat | the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs |
| habitat use | the process by which organisms use habitats from among the range of options they encounter |
| immigration | movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population |
| K-selected | organisms that reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring |
| limiting factor | an environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing |
| logistic growth curve | S-shaped growth curve indicating that initially, a population grows rapidly, but the growth rate slows down, and the population eventually reaches a constant rate |
| mass extinction event | the elimination of a large proportion of the world's species in a very short time period due to some extreme and rapid change or catastrophic event |
| mutation | change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information |
| natural selection | process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully |
| niche | full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
| population | a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area |
| population density | number of individuals per unit of area |
| population dispersion | general pattern in which the members of a population are arranged throughout its habitat |
| population distribution | variation of population density over a particular geographic area |
| population ecology | The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size. |
| population size | total number of individuals in a population |
| R-selected | a species with high biotic potential whose members produce a large number of offspring in a relatively short time but do not care for their young after birth |
| sex ratio | the number of males per 100 females in the population |
| specialist | a species with a narrow niche that can tolerate a narrow range of conditions and can use only a few specific resources |
| speciation | the formation of new species as a result of evolution |
| species | group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| survivorship curve | graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species |
| Wallace, Alfred Russell | developed theory of evolution independent of Darwin |
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