Understanding Populations Chapter 8
Population All of the members of a species living in the same place at the same time All of the brown squirrels living in a forest
Density - the number of individuals per unit area or volume Dispersion - the relative distribution or arrangement of its individuals within a given amount of space
Clumped Dispersion Description of a large population of geese gathered in a marsh
Density Independent Cause of death that does not occur more quickly in crowded populations
Growth Rate - Birth rate minus the death rate Birth rate - Death rate = Growth Rate
Reproductive Potential - the maximum number of offspring that each member of the population can produce
Generation Time Average age at which members of a species reproduce
Exponential growth - when populations grow faster and faster
Carrying Capacity - the maximum number of a species that an ecosystem can support
Niche The unique role of a species within an ecosystem Kangaroo’s role as a large herbivore on Australian grasslands
Competition A relationship in which different individuals or populations attempt to use the same limited resource Woodpeckers eating at a birdfeeder
Predation When an organism (predator) eats another organism (prey) An owl snatching a mouse from a field to eat
Parasitism When an organism, parasite, takes its nourishment from its host Three lampreys attached to a fish and sucking its body fluids for food
Mutualism A close relationship between two species in which each species provides a benefit to the other A butterfly pollinating a flower as it drinks nectar from the flower
Commensalism A relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped An orchid using a high tree branch as a place of attachment to receive more sunlight but not affecting the tree
Symbiosis - a relationship in which two organisms live in close association
The number of wild horses per square kilometer in a prairie is the horse population’s? Density
If over a long period of time each pair of adults in a population had only two offspring and the offspring lived to reproduce, the population would? Remain the same
Which of the following species has the highest reproductive potential? Rabbit, Elephant, Human, Horse? Rabbit
Which of the following is not an example of exponential growth? Rabbit populations after being introduced to Australia Reindeer of the Probilof Islands eating most of the Lichens A bank account that earns interest Mold appearing on bread overnight B
The carrying capacity of an environment for a particular species at a particular time is determined by the: Supply of the most limited resources
Competition for food cannot occur: Between animals from two different ecosystems
A bird that feeds at night and a bird that feeds during the day from the same flower is an example of: Indirect Competition
In which type of interaction between species does one species benefit by harming another species but not killing it? Parasitism
Which of the following examples would be least likely to be considered a symbiotic interaction? A kit fox hunts and feeds on a kangaroo rat
Which of the following two species represent a relationship that has coevolved? Flowering plants and their pollinators