Population Ecology

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What is population ecology?

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The study of how populations of organisms interact with their environment and each other.

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What is a population?

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A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

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What is logistic growth?

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A pattern of growth where a population grows rapidly at first and then levels off as resources become limited.

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What is density-dependent limiting factor?

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A factor that affects population growth in relation to the population density, such as competition or predation.

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What is density-independent limiting factor?

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A factor that affects population growth regardless of population density, such as natural disasters.

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What is the 10% rule in ecology?

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Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level.

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What is a trophic level?

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A level in a food chain or food web, representing the flow of energy and nutrients.

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What is carrying capacity?

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

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What is exponential growth?

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A pattern of growth where a population increases rapidly without any limiting factors.

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What is a food chain?

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A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.