2.5a Niche Flashcards
What is an ecological niche
a multi-dimensional summary of tolerances and requirements of a species
What is a fundamental niche?
A niche that it occupies in the absence of any interspecific competition
What is a realised niche?
It is occupied in response to interspecific competition
What is competitive exclusion and how does it occur?
- as a result of interspecific competition
- where the niches of two species are so similar that one declines to local extinction
What happens when the realised niche of potential competators are so different
potential competitors can co-exist by resource partitioning
What is parasitism?
a symbiotic interaction between a parasite and its host
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Explain a parasitic relationship
the parasite gains in terms of nutrients at the expense of the host
Explain reproductive potential of parasites and hosts
Unlike in a predator–prey relationship, the reproductive potential of the parasite is greater than that of the host
Explain the niches of parasites
most parasites have a narrow (specialised) niche as they are very host-specific
Explain the structure of parasites
As the host provides so many of the parasite’s needs, many parasites are degenerate, lacking structures and organs
found in other organisms
What is an ectoparasite?
lives on the surface of its host
What is an endoparasite?
lives within the tissue of its host
