Population ecology

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What is population ecology?

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Population ecology is the study of how populations of organisms interact with their environment and how factors such as resource availability, predation, and competition affect population dynamics.

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What is a density-dependent factor?

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A density-dependent factor is a factor whose effects on the size or growth of a population vary with the population density, such as food availability, predation, and disease.

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What is a density-independent factor?

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A density-independent factor is a factor that affects population size regardless of the population's density, such as natural disasters or climate changes.

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What is carrying capacity?

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

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What is resource partitioning?

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Resource partitioning is the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community by utilizing different resources or habitats.

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What is character displacement?

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Character displacement is the evolutionary change that occurs when two similar species compete for the same resources, leading to differences in their traits.

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What is a climax community?

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A climax community is a stable and mature ecological community that undergoes little change in species composition over time.

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What is primary succession?

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Primary succession is the process of ecological change that occurs in an area where no soil exists, such as after a volcanic eruption.

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What is secondary succession?

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Secondary succession is the process of ecological change that occurs in an area where a disturbance has destroyed an existing community but left the soil intact.

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What role do predators play in an ecosystem?

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Predators help control prey populations, preventing them from exceeding the carrying capacity and promoting biodiversity.