Population Dynamics
This environmental factor has the greatest direct impact on how many organisms can survive in a given area.
What is the availability of food and resources?
This type of relationship benefits both species involved, like insects gathering food while helping plants reproduce.
What is mutualism or a mutually beneficial interaction?
Organisms that don't receive adequate nutrition from their food supply experience this effect on their development and survival.
What is limited growth and reduced survival rates?
When a crucial species disappears from an ecosystem, this widespread effect often occurs to other populations.
What are cascading changes or impacts on many other species?
Farmers in tropical regions often clear forests for this primary economic reason.
What is to earn income and support their families?
When individuals in a group must fight over the same necessities, this biological process occurs.
What is competition for limited resources?
This ecological relationship occurs when one animal captures and consumes another for nutrition.
What is predation?
When food becomes more plentiful in an ecosystem, animal groups typically experience this change.
What is population growth or larger population sizes?
Ecosystems with many interconnected populations show this characteristic when facing environmental changes.
What is greater resilience and stability?
Traditional forest management systems provide local communities with these four essential benefits.
What are food, water, materials, and protection?
This is what typically happens to a group of organisms when their essential needs become harder to find.
What is population decline or decreased population size?
When two different groups of organisms need the same scarce resource, this interaction determines their relative success.
What is competition?
A sudden reduction in available resources typically causes this change in community size.
What is population decline?
The variety of different species in an ecosystem contributes to this important characteristic that helps it survive disturbances.
What is ecosystem stability or resilience?
Sustainable agricultural practices focus on maintaining these two important environmental features.
What are wildlife habitats and healthy soils?
The amount of living space available determines this aspect of how many individuals can exist together?
What is the carrying capacity or population limit of an area?
This hunting relationship serves an important ecological function by preventing prey species from becoming too numerous.
What is predation controlling population sizes?
When essential materials become scarce, organisms experience increased intensity of this biological process.
What is competition for resources?
When one population disappears, other species may experience this type of change to their habitat or food sources.
What is reduced resources or altered habitat conditions?
Growing multiple different crops instead of just one provides farmers with this important economic advantage.
What is income stability if one crop fails?
Population numbers often change over time due to this natural variation in what organisms need to survive.
What are seasonal or yearly changes in resource availability?
This happens to completing populations when they both require the same limited resource in their environment.
What is population stabilization or decrease in both species?
Individuals who cannot obtain sufficient resources face this likely consequence for their biological fitness.
What is reduced survival and reproductive success?
In agricultural systems with only one crop type, disruptions have this type of impact on all populations.
What is strong effects on all populations in the system?
Effective farming solutions must achieve this balance between human needs and environmental protection.
What is balancing human livelihoods with ecological sustainability?