ESS Topic 2

5. The spatial change in communities along an environmental gradient (e.g., moving up a mountain).
7. The maximum number of individuals of a species that can be sustainably supported by a given area.
8. An S-shaped growth curve that levels off as a population reaches its carrying capacity.
9. A capture-mark-recapture method used to estimate the population size of motile (moving) organisms.
12. A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.
13. The particular set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds.
16. The first organisms to colonize a bare or disturbed area (e.g., lichens, mosses).
17. The energy remaining after producers have met their own respiratory needs (GPP - R).
19. Species that produce few offspring but invest high amounts of parental care (e.g., humans, elephants).
21. Limiting factors that affect a population regardless of its size (e.g., climate, natural disasters).

1. The final, stable stage of ecological succession that remains in dynamic equilibrium.
2. Species that produce a large number of offspring but provide little to no parental care.
3. The living components of an ecosystem, including all organisms and their interactions.
4. An interrupted climax community where human activity (grazing, fire) prevents natural succession.
6. The process of ecological change starting on entirely new land (e.g., bare rock or volcanic islands).
8. Ecological change occurring in an area where soil already exists (e.g., after a forest fire or logging).
10. A linear model showing the flow of energy and nutrients from one organism to the next.
11. The total energy stored in consumer biomass after accounting for respiratory loss.
14. The total amount of solar energy fixed by producers into chemical energy.
15. The position an organism or group of organisms occupies in a food chain.
18. A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the interaction.
20. A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions (e.g., tundra, desert, tropical rainforest).