Population & Biodiversity

    Cards (40)

    • Levels of Biological Organization
      • Organism
      • Population
      • Community
      • Ecosystem
      • Biosphere
    • Organism
      • Survival and reproduction; the unit of natural selection
    • Population
      • Population dynamics; the unit of evolution
    • Community
      • Interactions among populations
    • Ecosystem
      • Global processes Energy flux and cycling of nutrients
    • Population Density
      Total Population / Total Area or Total Volume
    • Abiotic Factors

      • Changes in temperature level
      • Humidity: amount of rainfall
      • Sunlight
    • Population Range
      The area occupied by a population
    • Biotic Factors

      • Presence of predators
      • Competitors
      • Parasites
    • Population Dispersion
      • Clumped Distribution
      • Uniform Distribution
      • Random Distribution
    • Carrying Capacity
      The maximum population an environment can support sustainably without depleting its resources
    • Population Growth
      • Exponential Growth
      • Logistic Growth
    • Birth Rate
      Number of births / Total Population x 1000
    • Death Rate
      Number of deaths / Total Population x 1000
    • Population Growth Rate
      How fast the number of members of a population increases
    • Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment
    • The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transformed or transferred
    • Types of Consumers
      • Herbivores
      • Carnivores
      • Omnivores
    • Food Chains transfer matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism
    • Food Webs are complex interconnected food chains
    • Plants are the considered producers (Autotrophs)
    • Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms
    • Biodiversity (Biological Diversity)

      • Variations within and among life-forms
      • The total sum of all the living organisms that exist on earth
      • A product of millions of years of evolutionary history
      • Includes ecological complexes in which organisms live
    • Biodiversity Hotspot
      • An area that hosts high biodiversity and may also experience the threat of biodiversity loss
      • Creates a stable environment
    • Stability
      The ability of an ecosystem to resist change
    • Keystone species

      Species that are more key to maintaining the current state of an ecosystem
    • Diversity-stability Hypothesis

      Biologically diverse communities are more likely to contain resilient species that can benefit the ecosystem
    • Insurance Hypothesis
      Different species vary their responses to environmental fluctuations and diseases, allowing more species which are more able to adapt to changes in the ecosystem
    • Niche
      Each species occupying a specific role, habitat, and relationship with other species
    • Effects of Biodiversity on Ecosystem Stability
      • Resistance to Invasion
      • Insurance Effect
      • Species resistance to diseases
      • Negative covariance effect
    • Resistance to Invasion
      Comes from complementarities or competition (e.g. resources, niche), making it difficult for intruders to thrive
    • Insurance Effect
      Allows more species which are more able to adapt to changes in the ecosystem, buffering against changes or disturbance
    • Negative covariance effect
      More adaptable organisms in an ecosystem take the role of underperforming organisms, as more and more organisms come in resulting in overlapping capacities
    • How humans disturb the ecosystem
      • Introduction of pollutants
      • Agricultural effects on nutrient cycling
      • Combustion of fossil fuels
      • Depletion of the ozone layer
      • Global warming
    • How can we help protect the ecosystem
      • Use and manage materials wisely
      • Conserve nonrenewable resources
      • Reduce and save the amount of energy we use
      • Recycle, reuse, reduce, repurpose, repair (5 Rs)
      • Keep species in their natural habitat
      • Avoid chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers
    • Population
      • A group of organisms of a single species living within a certain area
      • Directly shows the gene pool than observing the entire species
    • Aspects of Population
      • Population Density
      • Population Dispersion
      • Population Growth
      • Population Range
      • Age Structure
      • Carrying Capacity
    • Population Density (PD)

      Total Population / Total Area
      Total Population / Total Volume
    • Growth Rate (r)

      Influenced by Density Dependent Limiting Factors (biotic factors like diseases, mates, predators) and Density Independent Limiting Factors (abiotic factors like forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis)
      Calculated as: r = (B-D)+(I-E) / N
    • Patterns of Population Distribution
      • Clumped
      • Random
      • Uniform