Ecology and Population Dynamics Quiz

Study Notes

Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Key levels of organization: Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Biosphere.

Biotic Factors: Living components affecting populations, like competition and predation.
Abiotic Factors: Non-living components, such as climate, soil, and water.

Exponential Growth (J Curve):
- Occurs when resources are unlimited.
- Characterized by rapid population increase, typical in species like bacteria and humans.
Logistic Growth (S Curve):
- Population grows until it reaches carrying capacity, then stabilizes due to limited resources.
- Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population sustainable in an environment.

Increase: Births, immigration, expanding territories, technological advancements, decreasing predators.
Decrease: Deaths, emigration, resource depletion, sterility, introduction of predators.

Changes in predator and prey populations are interdependent; increase in prey leads to increased predator populations, and vice versa.

Predation: One organism hunts another for nourishment.
Herbivory: Consumption of plants by organisms.
Symbiosis: Close interactions between different species, beneficial to one or both.

Mutualism (+,+): Both species benefit, such as pollinators and flowering plants.
Commensalism (+,0): One species benefits while the other is unaffected.
Parasitism (+,-): One organism benefits at the expense of the other.

Competition: Organisms compete for limited resources such as food, water, and space.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

Primary Succession: Development of an ecosystem in an area with no previous soil, starting with pioneer species.
Secondary Succession: Recovery of an ecosystem after a disturbance, usually faster due to existing soil.

Bioaccumulation: Build-up of substances, like pesticides, in an organism over time.
Biomagnification: Increase of toxic substances in organisms at higher trophic levels.
Climate Change: Alteration of global weather patterns due to human activities.
Biodiversity: Variety of life in an ecosystem, crucial for resilience and ecological balance.
Pollution: Introduction of harmful substances into the environment, affecting health and ecosystems.

Overexploitation: Excessive use of species leading to population decline.
Habitat Destruction: Loss of habitats due to human activities, impacting biodiversity.
Edge Effects: Changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats.
Eutrophication: Nutrient overload in water bodies leading to excessive plant growth and oxygen depletion.

Carbon Source: Processes that release more carbon than they absorb.
Carbon Sink: Natural environments that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Review definitions and implications of ecological terms.
Understand population dynamics and graphs related to predator-prey relationships.
Familiarize with types of symbiotic interactions and their ecological impacts.
Study key ecological concepts such as succession, trophic levels, and environmental issues.