APES Unit 2 Review

Front

What is biodiversity evenness?

Back

Biodiversity evenness refers to how evenly the individuals in a community are distributed among the different species. A community with high evenness has a similar number of individuals across all species.

Front

Why is high biodiversity important for ecosystems?

Back

High biodiversity is important because it enhances ecosystem resilience, allowing it to recover more effectively from disturbances and maintain ecological balance.

Front

What is a population's zone of intolerance?

Back

The zone of intolerance is the range of environmental conditions where organisms cannot survive, leading to death.

Front

What is the bottleneck effect?

Back

The bottleneck effect occurs when a population's size is significantly reduced for at least one generation, leading to a loss of genetic diversity.

Front

What is ecological succession?

Back

Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time, often following a disturbance.

Front

What are pioneer species?

Back

Pioneer species are the first organisms to colonize a previously disrupted or damaged ecosystem, initiating the process of ecological succession.

Front

Define species richness.

Back

Species richness is the number of different species represented in a given ecological community.

Front

What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

Back

Primary succession occurs in lifeless areas where soil has not yet formed, while secondary succession occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an existing community but left the soil intact.

Front

What is an ecological niche?

Back

An ecological niche is the role and position a species has in its environment, including all interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support.