5a: Niches Flashcards
what is an ecological niche
a multi-dimensional summary of tolerances and requirements of a species
What is a fundamental niche
Niche that it occupies in the absence of any interspecific competition
What is a realised niche
A realised niche is occupied in response to interspecific competition
What is competitive exclusion
As a result of interspecific competition, competitive exclusion can occur, where the
niches of two species are so similar that one declines to local extinction
What is resource partitioning
Where the realised niches are sufficiently different, potential competitors can co- exist by resource partitioning
What is parasitism
a symbiotic interaction between a parasite and its host
Unlike in a predatorāprey relationship, the reproductive potential of the parasite isā¦
greater than that of the host
Most parasites have aā¦.
narrow (specialised) niche as they are very host-specific
As the host provides so many of the parasiteās needs, many parasites areā¦
degenerate, lacking structures and organs found in other organisms
definitive host definition
the organism on or in which the parasite reaches sexual maturity.
Intermediate hosts purpose
They may also be required for the parasite to complete its life cycle.
A vector plays an active role inā¦
the transmission of the parasite and may also be a host
