Big Idea 4

20. R - Strategist: An R - Strategist is an organism that focuses on their offspring being numerous and short life span rather than investing into a few, healthy offspring. A ladybug, a member of the beetle family, has numerous offspring with short lifespans, therefore a ladybug is an r - strategist. 

6. Competition: Competition is two organism competing for resources. This two Birch trees grow extremely close to each other in perspective to their size. Therefore, there roots compete for nutritious soil and water. 

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8. Endosperm: An endosperm is the tissue produced around the seeds of flowers. The endosperm of this Orchid is clearly visible in this picture. 

19. Predation: Predation is part of the circle of life. In predation, a predator feeds on prey as a source of energy and survival. The raven, like in the picture, is an apex predator who feeds on small rodents, amphibians, smaller birds, and reptiles. 

15. Succession: Succession is the observed process of change in a species structure. The organisms undergo changes based on the environment they live in. The Maple tree in this picture has orange, reddish, and green leaves. The leaf color changes based on the season and environment surrounding it. 

18. Population: A population is the overall summation of organisms in a particular area. They evolve and populate based on their surrounding. Raccoons, like in the picture above, are commonly found in cities. They scavenge food and garbage, while not being faced with a great amount of predators. Raccoons are abundant in the Sacramento Region. 

11. K-Strategist: A K- strategists are generally characterized by larger bodies, stable ecology, and large investment of few offspring. A fox, like in the picture above, is a k - strategist and mammal who has few, but stable offspring supply. 

10. Keystone Species: A keystone species is a species that has a large effect on its environment and other animals in the ecosystem. A grizzly bear, like in the picture, is a keystone species in California and necessary for regulating balance of other animal populations. 

13. Niche: A niche is the way of life of a species. Chickens have no definant natural habitat, therefore they are best kept in grassy areas with large patches of dirt, away from predators such as foxes.  

9. Introduced Species: An introduced species is a non - native organism which uses the resources and is harmful to an environment. A weed is an example of an introduced species. They contribute to land degradation and reduce farm and forest area.