Population Ecology Vocabulary

Front

What is the carrying capacity in population ecology?

Back

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

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What is competition in ecological terms?

Back

A biological interaction where two or more individuals or species compete for the same resources, such as food, water, or territory.

Front

What does exponential growth refer to in population ecology?

Back

A growth pattern where the population size increases at a constant rate over time, resulting in a J-shaped curve when graphed.

Front

What is demographic transition?

Back

A model that describes the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops.

Front

What is a limiting factor?

Back

Any resource or condition that restricts the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population.

Front

What is logistic growth?

Back

A growth pattern where the population grows rapidly at first and then slows as it approaches the carrying capacity, resulting in an S-shaped curve.

Front

What are density-dependent limiting factors?

Back

Factors that affect population growth in relation to the population density, such as competition, predation, and disease.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

Front

What is predation?

Back

An interaction where one organism (the predator) kills and eats another organism (the prey).

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.