Concepts
41 concepts
interspecific competition
Negative interactions between individuals of different species competing for limited resources
climate-induced range shifts
Changes in species geographic distributions in response to changing climate conditions, typically involving movement to higher elevations or latitudes
pond hydroperiod
The frequency and duration of annual pond inundation vs. exposure, with categories including temporary ponds (dry annually in early summer), semi-permanent ponds (dry in late summer in most but not al...
facultative paedomorphosis
Alternative life history strategy where some individuals retain larval traits and become sexually mature in aquatic environment while others metamorphose to terrestrial adults
cannibalism
Predation behavior where individuals consume members of their own species, particularly common in A. m. nebulosum populations targeting first year hatchlings
animal-driven nutrient cycling
The contribution of animals to ecosystem nutrient fluxes through excretion, with supply determined by animal biomass, excretion rates, and time spent in the ecosystem
pond drying
Temporary pond hydroperiod reduction that triggers behavioral and physiological responses in aquatic organisms
algal resource quality
The nutritional value of algae as food for aquatic consumers, typically measured by nutrient content
phenological mismatch
Food availability timing related to snow melt and vegetation growth potentially mismatched with juvenile foraging periods
biofluorescence
The emission of visible light by organisms following the absorption of shorter wavelengths of light
case construction
Caddisfly larvae ability to construct protective cases from environmental debris using silk-like string
detritivore feeding preference
Selective consumption behavior of invertebrates feeding on different types of organic detritus
energy flux
The flow of energy through ecological systems, measured as invertebrate biomass transfer from terrestrial to aquatic environments
insect recruitment
Addition of new individuals to insect populations through successful reproduction and development
Schoener's index
A measure of niche overlap calculated as SI = 1 - (1/2) Σᵢ |pᵢₖ - pⱼₖ| where values approach 1 when resource use curves coincide perfectly and approach 0 when they don't overlap
functional feeding groups
Categorization of invertebrates based on feeding mechanisms: collector-gatherers, grazers, predators, shredders, and suspension-feeders
precipitation seasonality
Temporal variation in precipitation patterns expressed as coefficient of variation in monthly precipitation over 5 years
Henry's Law equilibration
The proportionality relationship between partial pressure of a gas in air and its aqueous concentration used to measure dissolved CO2
PIT tag telemetry
Use of passive integrated transponder tags for remote detection and tracking of individual animals without need for recapture
animal communication
Mechanisms used by individuals to convey different cues to others, including color, vocal cues, body language, and biofluorescence
case grazing
Behavior where caddisfly larvae consume material from their own or others' protective cases
coarse particulate organic matter
Organic matter particles larger than 1 mm, including intact leaves and larger detrital fragments
electivity index
A measure comparing the proportion of prey in predator diet to proportion in environment to detect selection or avoidance
mass-specific excretion rate
the rate of nutrient excretion per unit body mass of an organism
non-additive effects
Combined impact of multiple predators differs from the sum of their individual effects, can be greater or less than additive
positive feedback loop
Mechanism where state and behavior mutually reinforce each other, measured as positive correlation between individual intercept and slope in random regression models.
principal component analysis
Statistical method used to identify the structuring factors driving life-history variation and to detect slow-fast continuum patterns
terrestrial subsidies
Input of terrestrial invertebrates into aquatic food webs providing energy to aquatic predators
actuarial senescence
The increase in mortality with age, showing broad variation at the intraspecific level
best of a bad lot mechanism
Paedomorphosis becomes the preferred life strategy when growing conditions such as prey abundance, water temperature, and population density are poor, so individuals opt to cut losses and become sexua...
demographic compensation
Population response where decreases in fitness due to other factors are offset by increases in another demographic parameter
detritivory
Consumption of dead organic matter by organisms, particularly caddisfly larvae feeding on detritus
detritus shredders
Functional guild of macroinvertebrates that break down dead organic material, contributing to nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems
dietary specialization
Differential prey use based on habitat type, with fairy shrimp comprising majority of diet in temporary ponds
digestive efficiency
The ability to extract nutrients from consumed food, measured here by frass mass relative to provision mass and extent of pollen grain digestion
environmental harshness
Degree of environmental stress affecting survival and reproduction, differing between elevational sites
exploitation competition
Competition through depletion of shared resources without direct interaction
intraguild predation
Asymmetric intraguild predation (IGP) between caddisflies where larger, faster-growing species prey on smaller competitors
nutrient spiraling
The downstream transport and repeated cycling of nutrients through uptake and release in stream ecosystems
realized tolerance
The ability to maintain fitness after damage, measured through both genetic and environmental components of tolerance including resource acquisition and storage traits, and traits involved in pollinat...
sexual dimorphism
Differences between sexes in fluorescent patterns, as identified in Plethodon metcalfi
