AP Biology Ecology Unit Review

Front

What is the formula for calculating the change in population size over time?

Back

dN/dt = rN, where dN/dt is the change in population size, r is the growth rate, and N is the population size.

Front

What is resource partitioning?

Back

Resource partitioning is when two species divide a resource based on differences in their behavior or morphology.

Front

How does competition affect population sizes?

Back

Competition limits population sizes and drives natural selection.

Front

What is Proximate Cause in behavioral ecology?

Back

Proximate Cause refers to the immediate, observable reasoning for an organism’s behavior.

Front

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

Back

The competitive exclusion principle states that two species competing for the same resource cannot coexist if other ecological factors are constant.

Front

What is exponential growth in population ecology?

Back

Exponential growth occurs when a population increases by a constant proportion over time, typically in an environment with abundant resources.

Front

What factors can lead to exponential growth of an invasive species?

Back

Factors include being free of predators, free of competition, and having abundant resources.

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely without being degraded.

Front

What is the difference between intraspecific and interspecific competition?

Back

Intraspecific competition occurs between individuals of the same species, while interspecific competition occurs between individuals of different species.

Front

What is a keystone species?

Back

A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.