APES Study Guide
Unit 3: LIFE ON EARTH (PART II) – BIODIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
The third unit of APES will continue our study of ecology. It will focus on biodiversity, species interactions and evolution.
Textbook Reference:
Chapter 6 – Population and Community Ecology
Vocabulary:
Directions: Review key vocabulary, words may appear in quizzes and/or tests.
Chapter 6
• Age structure
• Intrinsic growth rate
• Carrying capacity
• J-shaped
• Commensalism
• Keystone species
• Community
• K-selected species
• Community ecology
• Limiting resource
• Competition
• Logistic growth model
• Competitive exclusion principle
• Metapopulation
• Corridors
• Mutualism
• Density-dependent factors
• Overshoot
• Density-independent factors
• Pathogens
• Die-off
• Pioneer species
• Ecological succession
• Population
• Ecosystem engineers
• Population density
• Exponential growth model
• Population distribution
• Growth rate
• Population ecology
• Population size
• Predation
• Predator-mediated
competition
• Primary succession
• Resource partitioning
• R-selected species
• Secondary succession
• Sex ratio
• S-shaped
• Survivorship curves
• Symbiotic
• Theory of island biogeography
Study Guide Questions (SGQ):
Chapter 6
1. Describe population ecology explain the characteristics the basics characteristics (5) of a population.
2. Contrast the ways in which density dependent and density independent factors affect population size.
3. Distinguish between the environmental resistance and the carrying capacity of an environment, and use these
concepts to explain why there are always limits to population growth in nature.
4. What limits the growth of populations? Explain the concepts intrinsic rate of increase, environmental
resistance, and carrying capacity. Using these concepts, explain why there are always limits to population
growth in nature.
5. Explain growth models, reproduction strategies, survivorship curves and meta-populations. Differentiate
between exponential growth and logistic growth of populations.
6. Distinguish between r-selected (opportunists) and k-selected (competitor) species. How are their reproductive
rates different? r-selected:
7. Define and give an example of a population crash.
8. Describe and give an example of resource partitioning and explain how it can increase species diversity.
9. Distinguish between a predator and a prey species and give an example of each. What is a predator– prey
relationship?
Describe three ways in which prey species can avoid their predators and three ways in which predators
can increase their chances of feeding on their prey.
10. Define interspecific competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism and give an example of
each. Explain how each of these species interactions can affect the population sizes of species in ecosystems.
11. Define and give an example of coevolution
12. What is ecological succession? Distinguish between primary ecological succession and secondary ecological
succession and give an example of each.
13. Explain why succession does not follow a predictable path.