Concepts

All (159)Explore Concept Graph

159 concepts

theory

growth rate hypothesis

Organisms with higher growth rates require greater cellular concentration of ribosomes and have greater tissue RNA content

biogeochemistry1 paper
theory

growth-development tradeoffs

Allocation decisions between current growth and accelerated development that affect adult fitness

population ecology1 paper
theory

herbivory threshold

Critical point where herbivore grazing pressure begins to regulate algal biomass rather than resource limitation

community ecology1 paper
theory

hierarchy theory

general ecology1 paper
theory

homophily

The tendency for similar individuals to associate and form ties, thus limiting their social worlds and altering the information they receive and the interactions they experience

population ecology1 paper
theory

hummingbird flower syndrome

The convergent set of floral traits (red color, tubular morphology, dilute nectar) expected to evolve in flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination

community ecology1 paper
theory

humped-back model

A model suggesting that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity, is low at high productivity where few species dominate available resources, and is low at low productivity where few species...

community ecology1 paper
theory

ideal free distribution

general ecology1 paper
theory

inclusive fitness theory

Hamilton's theory that fitness should be stripped of all components which can be considered as due to the individual's social environment, leaving the fitness he would express if not exposed to any of...

evolution1 paper
theory

island biogeography

Pikas as island species restricted to talus habitat and high alpine mountain tops

general ecology1 paper
theory

kinematic wave equation

hydrology1 paper
theory

landslide geomorphology systems

Framework for discussing how landslide processes contribute to geomorphological development of different types of terrain

landscape1 paper
theory

marginal value theorem

population ecology1 paper
theory

masculinity performance

The concept that masculinity is performed and constructed rather than innate, revealed through character staging and cultural fabrication

general ecology1 paper
theory

mass conservation

Physical principle balancing soil transport and production processes to predict soil thickness evolution

geomorphology1 paper
theory

mass conservation

The principle that mass cannot be created or destroyed, applied to nutrient cycling as consumption - growth - egestion = excretion

general ecology1 paper
theory

model complexity trade-offs

The balance between including biological detail to improve accuracy versus introducing parameter uncertainty that can reduce forecast skill

methodological1 paper
theory

model equifinality

methodological1 paper
theory

moral burden

The ethical responsibilities that supervisors carry when sending workers into the field, including duties of promoting safety, ensuring equitable access, and continuing to learn and improve

methodological1 paper
theory

morphological constraint

Physical limitations imposed by body structure that affect foraging efficiency and resource use

general ecology1 paper
theory

multilevel selection

Theoretical framework positing natural selection simultaneously occurs at multiple levels of biological organization, and at levels other than only the gene

evolution1 paper
theory

multiple hierarchy stratification theory

A theoretical view operating on the premise that each person has a specific status or position within society, with different levels of socioeconomic status having different challenges with leisure co...

population ecology1 paper
theory

natal habitat effects

The influence of early life environment on later life history decisions

population ecology1 paper
theory

neutral genetic drift

Random changes in allele frequencies due to sampling effects

evolution1 paper
theory

neutral theory

community ecology1 paper
theory

niche conservatism

The tendency for species to retain ancestral ecological requirements rather than evolving new ones

evolution1 paper
theory

optimal allocation theory

Theory predicting that parents should allocate investment amongst their progeny according to an optimum at which their own (i.e., the parents') fitness is maximized

population ecology1 paper
theory

optimal control theory

methodological1 paper
theory

pace-of-life syndrome

Hypothesis positing that a series of behavioural and physiological axes of variation correlates with the individual slow-fast continuum

population ecology1 paper
theory

pace-of-life syndrome

Correlations between boldness and an individual's willingness to face risk for food, linked to growth rate

evolution1 paper
theory

parental care trade-offs

The conflicting pressures parent birds face between maintaining optimal nest conditions and foraging to meet metabolic needs

population ecology1 paper
theory

parental desertion model

Theoretical framework predicting when parents will abandon offspring based on costs and benefits of continued care versus seeking additional mating opportunities

population ecology1 paper
theory

plant defense allocation trade-offs

Theoretical framework predicting significant costs to deploying defensive weapons, with plants using defenses when benefits outweigh costs and conserving resources when defense is unnecessary

plant ecology1 paper
theory

policy window

Moments when political will and available solutions converge to enable policy action

general ecology1 paper
theory

polycentric governance

Governance with many centers of decision-making which are formally independent of each other

general ecology1 paper
theory

power dynamics

The differential distribution of power and influence across individual workers, supervisors, institutions, and social context that shapes field safety outcomes

general ecology1 paper
theory

power of place

Landscapes encountered in daily life through interaction with material and people that are invested with power, where people develop special meanings and symbols to understand and approach powerful la...

landscape1 paper
theory

predator stress model

Model predicting that predators are affected to a greater extent than prey in high stress environments, reducing predation rates

community ecology1 paper
theory

producer-scrounger game theory

Game theory model where producers invest in developing resources while scroungers exploit those resources without investment

general ecology1 paper
theory

resource acquisition strategy

Plant strategy emphasizing rapid resource capture and growth versus conservative resource use

community ecology1 paper
theory

resource congruence

The requirement for specific nutrient ratios results in different limiting nutrients for each life-history trait

general ecology1 paper
theory

resource versus consumer control

Theoretical framework contrasting bottom-up resource limitation versus top-down predator control of community structure

community ecology1 paper
theory

resource-ratio theory

Theory predicting that species with traits conferring ability to most efficiently take up limiting soil resources will have highest abundance in a community

community ecology1 paper
theory

safe site model

Model assuming limited number of sites suitable for germination and recruitment with only one juvenile per safe site

population ecology1 paper
theory

scaling laws

Mathematical relationships that describe how system properties change with size or scale, typically expressed as power laws

general ecology1 paper
theory

semi-social insects

Insects with extended parental behavior intermediate between extremely social and extremely asocial species

evolution1 paper
theory

sensory bias

Innate sensory responses that form a foundation for higher-level cognitive functioning in animals

general ecology1 paper
theory

sex allocation theory

Theoretical framework predicting optimal investment in male versus female offspring based on relatedness asymmetries in social insects

evolution1 paper
theory

social complexity

A system is typically considered more complex if it contains more parts, more variability or types of parts, more connections or types of connections between parts or more layers of connected meaning

general ecology1 paper
theory

sociality effects on communication

The hypothesis that social structure influences the evolution of individually distinctive communication signals

evolution1 paper