3.1 Community Ecology Flashcards
What is a niche?
all the abiotic and biotic resources that a species needs
What is the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche?
A fundamental niche is all of the resources that a species could potentially use. Meanwhile, a realized niche includes all the resources that the species actually uses.
What is an interspecific interaction?
the study of interactions between populations or the study of all the organisms that live together in one place
What is a competitive interspecific interaction?
A competitive interspecific interaction is negative for both species.
True or False?
When two species compete for food that is an example of mutualism.
False.
When two species compete for food that is an example of competition, that is negative for both species.
What is a mutualistic interspecific interaction?
A mutualistic interspecific interaction is positive for both species.
What is a commensalism interspecific interaction?
When an interspecific interaction is categorized as interspecific it is positive for one species, and the other species isn’t affected.
What are the three types of interspecific interactions that are negative for one species and positive for the other?
predation, herbivory, and parasitism
True or False.
When a species is entirely dependent on each other that is an example of an obligatory relationship.
True.
on the other hand, in a facultative relationship, the species are still receiving benefits, but they can survive without each other.
What is likely to happen if the niches of the two species overlap a lot?
The two species will have to partition their niches. One species will become more dominant and overpower the other species. This means that one species’ realized niche will be much larger than the other’s.
What is likely to happen if the niches of the two species overlap a little?
The two species will still learn to partition their niches accordingly, but there will be much less competition.
What does Gause’s Competitive Exclusion Principle say?
no two similar species can occupy the same niche at the same time
How can niche partitioning increase the biodiversity of a community?
Niche partitioning increases the biodiversity of a community. This allows more species to access a limited resource. If the species don’t have to compete with each other, this will allow for more species to coexist in the community.
What are some ways that species can partition their niches?
time, location, food, etc.
