Concepts

Grouping of individuals based on body shape rather than species-level identification due to field identification constraints

Spread of disease between individuals through various mechanisms including spore dispersal

Transmission of parasites among individuals within social mammalian groups

Differences in environmental conditions and species composition between north and south-facing slopes

The distribution of limited resources among competing physiological functions such as growth, reproduction, and defense

Precisely-timed seasonal cycles of reproduction fundamental to animal populations adapting to northern and montane environments

A metric that compares observed values to null model expectations, calculated as (observed - expected) / standard deviation of null distribution

Standardized measure of interaction strength ranging from -1 to 1, where positive values indicate facilitation and negative values indicate competition

The increase in mortality with age, showing broad variation at the intraspecific level

Selection pressures that oppose each other within or between levels of biological organization

Non-random mating where individuals preferentially mate with similar individuals

Chemical compounds with therapeutic or biological activity

Increased noise levels produced by roads and motorized vehicles that alter the acoustic environment

Ecological relationships between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts involving infection, replication, and lysis or lysogeny

Selection pressure imposed by predators that may favor optimal body sizes for escape ability