Biology (New syllabus)

C - Interaction and Interdependence

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What are limiting factors in species distribution?

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Limiting factors are abiotic or biotic elements that determine where species can survive, including temperature, water availability, soil pH, predation pressure, and competition for resources.

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What are limiting factors in species distribution?

Limiting factors are abiotic or biotic elements that determine where species can survive, including temperature, water availability, soil pH, predation pressure, and competition for resources.

What is a keystone species?

A keystone species is one that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, playing a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community.

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

The competitive exclusion principle states that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist indefinitely; the more competitive species will exclude the other.

What are the main types of species interactions?

The main types are competition ($-/-$), predation ($+/-$), mutualism ($+/+$), commensalism ($+/0$), amensalism ($-/0$), and parasitism ($+/-$).

What is ecological succession?

Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time, including primary and secondary succession.

What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

Primary succession occurs in lifeless areas without soil, while secondary succession occurs in areas where an ecosystem has been disrupted but soil remains.

What are trophic levels?

Trophic levels represent the feeding positions of organisms in a food chain, including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers.

What is biomagnification?

Biomagnification is the process by which pollutants become more concentrated as they move up the food chain, particularly affecting top predators.

What are the key biogeochemical cycles?

The key biogeochemical cycles include the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, and water cycle.

What is carrying capacity?

Carrying capacity ($K$) is the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely, determined by resource availability and environmental conditions.

What is the Lincoln-Petersen method?

The Lincoln-Petersen method is used for mark-recapture population estimation, expressed as $N = \frac{MC}{R}$, where $N$ is the estimated population size.

What are the main processes in the nitrogen cycle?

The main processes are nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.

What is eutrophication?

Eutrophication is the excessive enrichment of water bodies with nutrients, leading to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and loss of biodiversity.

What are invasive species?

Invasive species are non-native organisms that can cause ecological or economic harm in a new environment, often outcompeting native species.

What is the Shannon-Wiener Index?

The Shannon-Wiener Index is a biodiversity index calculated as $H' = -\sum_{i=1}^{R} p_i \ln p_i$, where $p_i$ is the proportion of individuals belonging to species $i$.

What are top-down and bottom-up limiting factors?

Top-down factors include predation and disease, while bottom-up factors involve resource availability such as food, water, and space.