APES Chapter Six Study Guide
Objectives – Be able to:
1. list the levels of complexity found in the natural world
2. contrast the way density-dependent and density-independent factors affect population size
3. explain growth models, reproductive strategies, survivorship curves, and metapopulations
4. describe species interactions and the role of keystone species
5. discuss the process of ecological succession
6. explain how latitude, time, area, and distance affect the species richness of a community
Vocabulary
Population Community Population ecology Population size Population density Population distribution Sex ratio Age structure Density-dependent factors Limiting resource Carrying capacity Density-independent factors Growth rate Intrinsic growth rate Exponential growth model
J-shaped
Logistic growth model
S-shaped
Overshoot
Die-off
K-selected species
R-selected species
Survivorship curves
Corridors
Metapopulation
Community ecology
Competition
Competitive exclusion principle
Resource partitioning
Predation
Pathogens
Mutualism
Commensalism
Symbiotic
Keystone species
Predator-mediated competition
Ecosystem engineers
Ecological succession
Primary succession
Secondary succession
Pioneer species
Theory of island biogeography
Checkpoint Questions
1. What levels of complexity make up the biosphere?
2. How do populations and communities differ?
3. What factors regulate the size of a population?
4. What are the five characteristics of populations that ecologists study?
5. What did Gause discover in his classic experiments?
6. What is the difference between density-dependent and density-independent factors that affect
population size? Give examples of each.
7. Compare and contrast the reproductive strategies of r and K-selected species.
8. Distinguish among the three models of species survivorship.
9. What are the various ways in which species interact with one another?
10. What are the four types of predators?
11. What roles might a keystone species play in an ecosystem?
12. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
13. How does succession happen in aquatic environments?
14. What are the four factors that determine the number of species found in a community?
15. What does the theory of island biogeography describe?
Tips
Figure 6.2 population size
Add the exponential growth model formula (p153) to your reference tables
Figure 6.5 J-shaped curve
Table 6.1
Figure 6.12 Survivorship Curves