Pre-AP Biology: Ecology Vocab PART I

factor that will decrease the population based on outside factors that are not related to the size of the population like natural disasters or weather changes

• Carrying capacity

• Limiting factor

• Density-independent factor

• Primary consumer

the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil

• Competition

• Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrification

• Ecosystem

Group of organisms of the same species that are of particular size, density, age, and have a specific age distribution.

• Ecosystem

• Predation

• Community

• Population

Way in which individuals of a population are spread out over an area or volume.

• population dispersion

• carrying capacity

• logistic growth

• exponential growth

Definition: factor that will decrease the population size due to the number of organisms in the area. Ex: predators, small amount of resources.

• Logistic growth

• Carrying capacity

• Density-dependent factor

• Limiting factor

Definition: relationship in which two organisms fight over the same resources, typically because a niche overlap.

• Nitrification

• Predation

• Competition

• Community

Definition: organism that eats both plants and meat (ex: bears, pigs)

• Omnivore

• Decomposer

• Herbivore

• Carnivore

Definition: Show exponential growth, mature quickly, tend to have short lives, do not care for young causing high juvenile mortality, have many offspring, not sensitive to environmental resistance. (J-curve)

• Population dispersion

• Keystone species

• Invasive species

• R-strategist species

Definition: certain toxins become more concentrated at higher levels in the food chain

• Population

• Biological magnification

• Ecological pyramid

• Eutrophication

Definition: maximum population size that an environment can support

• Population

• Carrying capacity

• Limiting factor

• Logistic growth