3.1 Study Guide Flashcards
What is the definition of the term Niche?
Abiotic and biotic resources that a species uses to live.
What is the definition of the terms realized niche and fundamental niche?
Fundamental niche: Potential (they could use this area/these resources).
Realized niche: Reality (what they actually use).
What is the definition of the term mutualism?
Both species benefit from one another. Only positive outcomes.
What is the definition of the term commensalism?
One species benefits while the other neither benefits nor gets harmed.
What is the definition of the term parasitism?
One species benefits while the other is harmed.
What is the definition of the term predation?
Predator-prey relationship. One’s life is taken while the other benefits for food.
What is the definition of the term herbivory?
Animals eating plants. One species benefits, the other is harmed (the plants).
What is the definition of the terms facultative and obligatory?
Obligatory: Species are entirely dependent on each other.
Facultative: Receive benefits from but can survive without the other.
What is likely to happen if the niches of two species overlap a little? Overlap a lot?
When they overlap there’s bound to be competition, so both are bound to get harmed. That’s why there’s niche partitioning, which helps stop competition for resources when the competition becomes costly for a species.
How can niche partitioning increase the biodiversity of a community? What are some ways that species can partition their niches?
By allowing more than one species access to a limited resource. By the time of day they sleep and are awake, by consuming different foods and using different parts of the environment.
Please compare and contrast different interspecies interactions, and please give examples of each type.
Herbivory and predation are different. Predation is when one animal takes the life of another animal for food, and herbivory is when an animal eats plants.
Competition and commensalism are also different. Commensalism is when species are not harmed but only one benefits, and competition is when neither benefits and both are harmed.
Herbivory: Buffalo eating grass.
Predation: Lion hunting buffalo.
Competition: 2 wolf packs in one territory.
Commensalism: A bird hiding in a tree trunk.
Mutualism: A bird pecking insects off a buffalo and getting food.
Parasitism: A tick in a person’s skin.
What term does this definition belong to: Abiotic and biotic resources that a species uses to live?
Niche.
