1What three criteria make an organism more vulnerable to extinction?
size of geographic range, degree of habitat tolerance, size of local population
2organisms
focus on adaptations to an environment
3populations
groups of individuals of the same species in the same locale (all species together)
4communities
all the various populations at a particular locale (interactions between populations)
5ecosystems
living organisms and their physical environment (all the communities together)
6biosphere
portion of Earth's surface where living things exists (all the ecosystems together)
7ecology
scientific study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their physical environment
8environmental science
applies ecological principles to practical human concerns
9conservation biology
discipline of environmental science that studies all aspects of biodiversity; goal of conserving natural resources including wildlife for benefit of future generations
102 patterns of life history (2 different kind of species)
opportunistic species and equilibrium species
11opportunistic species
pioneer species, has exponential growth; members of populatin are small in size, short life span, fast to mature, many offspring, little or no care of offspring (ex: insects and weeds); growth regulated by density independent effects (conditions dont rlly matter)
12equilibrium species
has logistic population growth (slower curve, pitters out at carrying capacity); members of population are large, slow to mature, have long lifespands, few offspring, lots of care of offspring; growth regulated by density dependent effects
13coevolution
evolutionary change in one species results in an evolutionary change in another (they evolved side by side; ex: predator and prey)
14species richness
species composition of a community (a listing of species in the area)
15ecological succession
species composition and diversity change overtime; more or less orderly process of community change
16primary succession
occurs where there is no soil
17secondary succession
begins in a cultivated field that is no longer farmed (soil is already present)