Concepts

The ability of habitat to provide conditions appropriate for individual and population persistence, measured through resource availability and environmental conditions

Characterization of how snow properties vary across spatial scales using correlation lengths and variogram analysis

Nutritional and defensive characteristics of plants that affect herbivore performance, including water content and nutrient ratios

The range of climate conditions that a species can tolerate, estimated from ecological niche models

Areas where organisms can persist during periods of unfavorable climate change

Chemical composition of plant litter that determines its decomposability, typically characterized by C:N ratios and lignin content

Measures of early-life performance that may predict later survival and reproductive success

Species best suited for the environment that make up most of the vegetation in early successional stages

The area traversed by an individual in its normal activities of food gathering, mating and caring for young

Reservoir of biogeochemical capacity available as environmental conditions change, defined by genetic capabilities rather than instantaneous activity

A valuable and unpredictable prize (carrion) that must be defended from an assortment of organisms

The degree to which habitat patches are isolated considering both distance and matrix resistance, rather than distance alone

Refers to predator-naive prey, whose ancestors historically interacted with a predator, but who have not interacted with that predator in their own lifetime

Endosymbiotic bacteria that are not essential for host survival and are maintained at intermediate frequencies.

Isolated habitats such as boulders that function as islands for colonization by species like lichens

Spatial extent of human habituation effects or the behavioral footprint of anthropogenic impacts

Repeated subgraphs or small-scale patterns that represent key building blocks of complex networks

Cost of remaining in refuge measured as lost foraging opportunities or other beneficial activities

The combined effect of multiple environmental factors (including patch area) on local population size, used to describe site quality in terms of number of adult females per site

The area which is affected by the presence of the road and often spans an area many times wider than the road itself