Population Ecology

The maximum number of a species that an environment can support.

• max support

• carrying capacity

• total capacity

• total species

List the 3 goals every organism divides its energy among.

Check all that apply to r-selected species

• Organisms that are adaptable to unstable environments

• Reproduce exponentially

• organisms adapted to stable environments in which the number of individuals is at or near the environment's carrying capacity

• Small, short lived and opportunistic, insects, annual plants, bacteria, rats

• typically larger, grow more slowly, have fewer offspring and spend more time parenting them

Check all that apply to k-selected species

• are more prone to extinction because they mature later in life and have fewer offspring with longer gestation times.

• Reproduce exponentially

• organisms adapted to stable environments in which the number of individuals is at or near the environment's carrying capacity

• Small, short lived and opportunistic, insects, annual plants, bacteria, rats

• typically larger, grow more slowly, have fewer offspring and spend more time parenting them

This occurs when the population size (N) is at one-half of the environment's carrying capacity, K

• minimum population growth

• maximum population growth

• no population growth

• extinction

Type of ecosystem control where the supply of energy and nutrients influences ecosystem activities at higher trophic levels by affecting the amount of energy that moves up the food chain

• trophic cascade

• top down

• bottom up

• equality

Type of ecosystem control where there is an abundance of organisms at high trophic levels in the ecosystem

• trophic cascade

• top down

• bottom up

• equality

Drastic changes at the top of the food web can trigger domino effects that are felt through many lower trophic levels.

• trophic cascade

• top down

• bottom up

• equality

Removing or seriously impacting this type of species produces major impacts throughout the ecosystem

• r-selected species

• k-selected species

• keystone species

• general species

The full range of habitat types in which a species can exist and reproduce without any competition from other species

• narrow niche

• broad niche

• fundamental niche

• realized niche