11. ORGANISMS AND POPULATIONS
The chapter explores the complexity and diversity of life, especially through the lens of ecology, focusing on populations within ecosystems. It discusses attributes of populations, mechanisms of population growth, various interactions among species, and the implications of these interactions on ecological balance. Key concepts such as predation, competition, and mutualism are highlighted, emphasizing the interconnectedness of organisms in their habitats.
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What we have learnt
- Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment, organized into populations, communities, and ecosystems.
- Population attributes differ from individual characteristics, including birth rates, death rates, sex ratios, and age distributions.
- Interactions among species can significantly influence community dynamics, including competition, predation, mutualism, and parasitism.
Key Concepts
- -- Population Density
- The number of individuals within a specific area, which influences ecological dynamics.
- -- Exponential Growth
- A growth pattern where populations increase rapidly in size when resources are abundant.
- -- Logistic Growth
- A growth pattern that occurs when a population's growth rate decreases as it approaches its carrying capacity.
- -- Mutualism
- An interaction where both species benefit, often involving co-evolution.
- -- Predation
- An interaction where one organism (predator) feeds on another organism (prey), transferring energy across trophic levels.
- -- Commensalism
- An interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
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