NCSU BIO 181 Exam 2, Questions and answers, 100% Accurate. VERIFIED.

NCSU BIO 181 Exam 2, Questions and answers, 100% Accurate. VERIFIED. What is ecology? - -the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment What are the 5 areas of ecological study? - --Organismal: study of physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral mechanisms used by individual organisms to meet ecological needs -Population: how populations interact with their environment, how and why the # of individuals changes over time, the proportion of males to females, age of individuals, how likely they are to reproduce or die (Characteristics: range, spacing pattern, changes in size over time) -Community: Interacting populations of same and different species living within a given area -Ecosystem: study of changes in the community in response to changes in abiotic components of the ecosystems -Landscape: study of energy and matter (including organisms) exchanges between ecosystems Name abiotic factors. (5) - -Sunlight, temperature, rainfall (water), soil conditions, geography Biotic factors - -living portion (animals, plants, decomposers, etc) What is a population? - -A group of individuals of the same species inhabiting the same area Name density-dependent factors. - -Disease, competition, predation, parasitism, competition for resources Interspecific competition - -different species competing for the same resources Intraspecific competition - -the same species competing for the same resources Name density-independent factors. - -drought, freezes, floods, habitat loss, forest fires, storms, pollution Demography - --the study of factors that determine the size & structure of populations through time -Age structure, or the relative number of individuals of each age. -How likely individuals are to survive the following year -How many offspring are produced by females of different ages -How many individuals of different ages immigrate and emigrate each generation Population growth - -the change in the number of individuals in the population (∆N) per unit time (∆t) Population Dynamics - -Interaction