3 Flashcards
a predator which, by preying on a competitive dominant species, limits the competitive exclusion of other species by the dominant species.
Keystone predator
- Sessile organisms without structural defenses commonly produce these that deter predation (e.g., alkaloids, polyphenolics).
secondary metabolites
Organisms with chemical defenses often display bright colors or striking patterns as a warning, termed
Aposematic coloration
This mimic looks like a toxic model, and is also toxic itself.
Mullerian mimicry
this mimic looks like a toxic model species, but is itself non-toxic
Batesian mimicry
This occurs when a predator or parasite gains an advantage over prey by its resemblance to a third party. This model may be the prey (or host) species itself, or it may be a species that the prey does not regard as threatening.
Aggressive mimicry
predators reduce the abundance of herbivores, allowing plants to flourish.
Green world hypothesis (HSS)
in ecology describes the increasing reproduction of a predator in response to increasing prey abundance.
The numerical response
are physical attributes of a plant which reduce or eliminate herbivory.
Mechanical defenses
result from the production of secondary metabolites in plant tissues (e.g., phenolics, alkaloids, tannins) Can be accumulated in plants cells to act as toxins or secreted to inhibit herbivory.
Chemical defenses
is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms,
Symbiosis
an interaction between organisms that benefits at least one of the participants. Includes commensalism (+, 0) and mutualism (+, +).
Facilitation
Ants receive honeydew from aphids and protect them from predators.
Defensive mutualism
Associations between fungi and plant roots, wherein the fungus facilitates nutrient uptake (particularly nitrogen) by the plant in exchange for carbon in the form of sugars from the plant root.
Trophic or resource based mutualism
a) Modern mitochondria were derived from bacteria. (b) Chloroplasts were derived from cyanobacteria.
The endosymbiosis theory
a relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it.
Commensalism
The rhino moves around grazing the grass. In the process, they disturb the insects living in that area and the egrets get to eat the bugs.
Commensalism
Oxpeckers land on rhinos or zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The oxpeckers get food and the rhinos get pest control.
Mutualistic
Organism that creates or modified habitats
Ecosystem engineer
create or modify habitat or environment by their own physical structures
Autogenic engineer
modify non-living or living habitat from one physical state to another through their behavior or actions
Allogenic engineers
in ecology describes the increasing reproduction of a predator in response to increasing prey abundance.
Numerical response
consumption of all or part of a living plant. Includes both defoliation (leaf eating; grazing and browsing ) and the consumption of fruits and seeds.
Herbivory
predators reduce the abundance of herbivores, allowing plants to flourish
Green world hypothesis
These are physical attributes of a plant which reduce or eliminate herbivory.
Mechanical defenses
These result from the production of secondary metabolites in plant tissues (e.g., phenolics, alkaloids, tannins) Can be accumulated in plants cells to act as toxins or secreted to inhibit herbivory.
Chemical defenses
involve mutualistic relationships with other species (usually insects)
These involve mutualistic relationships with other species (usually insects)
This is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic.
Symbiosis
This an interaction between organisms that benefits at least one of the participants. Includes commensalism (+, 0) and mutualism (+, +).
Facilitation
This is a relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it.
Commensalism
Some facilitators have dramatic impacts on species composition and community dynamics by physically modifying the habitat
What’re the Two dominant mechanisms:
1) provide physical structure (habitat modification), (2) amelioration of physical stress
This is an organism that creates or modifies habitats
Ecosystem engineer
These create or modify habitat or environment by their own physical structures
Autogenic engineers
These modify non-living or living habitat from one physical state to another through their behavior or actions
Allogenic engineers
These are microparasites characterized by small size (bacteria, viruses, protozoans)
Pathogens
are parasites characterized by larger size (flukes, wasps
Macroparasites
All parasitic plants have special organs, named what which connect them to the conductive system (xylem, phloem) of their host and provide them with the ability to extract water and nutrient from the hosts.
haustoria
These are plants that draw nutrients and water from the host, but can also undergo photosynthesis.
Hemiparasites
These plants (Broomrape on right) lack chlorophyll and do not undergo photosynthesis, and are completely dependent on the host for nutrients, water and carbon.
Holoparasitic
This is an organism that carries or transmits the parasite from one host to another
Vector
Some parasites have these and only infect only one host species over the course of their life cycle. An example of a group of directly transmitted parasites are the strongyloid nematodes.
direct transmission
parasitism of a parasite (up to 7 levels have documented)
Hyperparasitism
This is a parasitic relationship in which one organism is dependent on the social organization of another.
Social parasitism
These are social parasites that spend their entire life in the nest of its host species
Inquilines
This occurs when a parasite transfers the responsibility of the care of offspring (eggs, young) onto surrogate parents.
Brood parasitism
This is the stealing of prey from another individual.
Kleptoparasitism
This occurs when the extinction of a host species causes the extinction of all of its associated parasite species (Dunn et al. 2009).
Co-extinction
an association of interacting populations
Community
This is the timing of the appearance and activity of species
Temporal structure
This is the number of species in a community.
Species richness
This is the number of species in the community, and their relative abundances
Species Diversity
terrestrial communities are typically distinguished by dominant plant form
Biome
a zone of transition between two biomes
Ecotone
What’re the two ways of looking at a community
Holistic view, individualistic view
species in a community act as a superorganism, coevolved to act as one unit
Holistic view
communities are aggregations of populations that happen to be in the same place
Individualistic view
concept in which a community in which each species’ distribution coincides with the boundaries of the community. Biotic interactions very important.
Closed community
concept in which each species has its own limits, so the boundaries of a community are arbitrary. Biotic factors less important.
Individualistic view
Those species in a community that have the highest abundance or highest biomass. These species exert a powerful control over the occurrence and distribution of other species.
Dominant species
A species that is not necessarily abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on community structure by the nature of its ecological role or niche
Keystone specied
This is a species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its biomass. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community
Keystone species
predictable change in species over time, as each new set of species modifies the environment to enable the establishment of other species, is virtually ubiquitous.
Ecological succession
This is the size of area or “patch” that is impacted
Scale
This is the strength or magnitude of a disturbing force
Intensity
“acute” vs. “chronic”
Frequency
This is the highest level of biodiversity is maintained at intermediate levels of disturbance frequency, intensity, size, and time since disturbance.
The intermediate disturbance hypothesis
If an ecosystem contains more species then it will have a greater likelihood of having redundant stabilizing species, and it will have a greater number of species that respond differently to perturbations.
Insurance Effect (Redundancy)
A reduction in the variation of returns on a combination of assets compared with the average of the variations of the individual assets.
Portfolio effect (investing)
An increase in ecosystem stability (reduced variation) as a function of increased species diversity.
Portfolio effect (ecology)
This is the fire-adapted trait in plants that is defined by an increase or a peak in flowering after a fire event.
Pyrogenic flowering
This a strategy in which the dissemination of seeds is stimulated by external triggers (such as fires) rather than by natural maturation.
Serotiny
The first species to colonize the bare earth following retreat of the glaciers are called what? Such as cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens.
pioneer species
