Chapter 14 Exploitative Interactions Flashcards
Which of the following examples is considered an exploitative interaction?
a cat killing a sparrow
Identify the role of a predator in a community.
Predators take nutrients from other organisms by killing them.
Identify the role of a parasite.
to consume nutrients from another organism without killing it
What term is used to describe an organism whose larva kills the host and consumes it?
Parasitoid
Which organisms are often classified as pathogens?
Viruses
Bacteria
Fungi
Which of the following relationships are considered exploitative interactions?
parasite–host
predator–prey
Identify the food preferences for larval Helicopsyche.
algae
bacteria
What term is used to describe an organism that will kill and consume other organisms?
predator
What term is used to describe an organism that lives on the tissues of another, without killing it?
parasite
What percentage of the benthic biomass do the larval Helicopsyche make up in the Lamberti and Resh study?
25%
Which organisms are most likely classified as a parasitoid?
wasps
flies
At what point of the study did the caddisfly population reach its peak?
week 3
What term is used to describe agents that induce disease?
pathogens
Which group of organisms is the dominant herbivore in a forest ecosystem?
arthropods
The larval of Helicopsyche graze on algae and bacteria growing on exposed surfaces of submerged _______. Feeding on these exposed surfaces makes them easier targets for predators.
stones
What was the arthropod density on plants that were visited by bats but not by birds in the Kalka study?
65% higher than control plants
Identify the impact that mange mites can have upon a population of red foxes.
results in hair loss
results in the death of the red fox
cause skin deterioration
What is the ecological role of the larval Helicopsyche in Lamberti and Resh’s study?
consumer
Which of the following prey populations would be impacted by the red fox population?
Roe deer
Grouse
Mountain hares
What is the relationship between the caddisfly population and the algal biomass?
As the caddisfly population increases the algal biomass decreases.
Which of the following will be the dominant group of herbivores in a forest ecosystem?
arthropods
Ecologists studying temporal dynamics will study the interactions between ______.
predators and prey
Which group of organisms in the Kalka study had an impact on reducing the arthropod density in tropical forests?
Birds and bats both reduced the arthropod density.
If the snowshoe hare population is impacted by the sunspot cycles, which population will be most directly impacted because the hares are affected?
lynx
What was the ultimate consequence of mange mites on the red fox population?
They decreased the population by over 70%.
According to the predator hypothesis, what will ultimately happen to the prey?
Their population will decrease.
What happened to the hare population as a result of the decrease in the red fox population?
It increased by two to four times.
Which portion of the boreal forest plays the most critical role in their winter food supply?
understory shrubs
How long after snowshoe hares browse on plants will the plant continue to produce chemical defenses? This defense will lower the quality of their food supply.
2 years
Temporal dynamics in predator and prey populations of animals are studied over a period of ______.
days to decades
Which of the following predators is a specialist on the snowshoe hare?
lynx
they rely mainly on snowshoe hares to live
Which population did Charles Elton hypothesize was most directly impacted by the intensity of solar radiation?
hares
thought variation in solar radiation would affect their food supply
Lynx and coyotes have the biggest impact on ______ populations.
snowshoe hare
Which correlation is correct according to the predator hypothesis? As prey population ______.
increases the predator population increases
Which statement is correct about the numerical response of both coyotes and lynxes in response to the increase in the hare population?
Both the coyote and lynx populations increased in numbers in response to an increase in the hare population.
What role do understory shrubs play in the life of a snowshoe hare?
The shrubs provide cover for the hares.
The shrubs provide a food source.
What is the most immediate consequence of an increase in the snowshoe hare population?
The quantity and quality of their food decreases.
What defensive mechanisms will plants produce in response to being preyed upon by snowshoe hares?
elevated concentrations of plant defensive chemicals
What happened to the hare population when the Krebs research team reduced the predators on the study plot?
The hare density doubled.
Which of the following are considered generalist predators on the snowshoe hare but can use snowshoe hares as their dominate food source when the hare population is large enough?
coyotes
red foxes
True or false: The population cycle in the snowshoe hare population is determined strictly by the number of predators in the community.
false
The hare population cycle is determined by a combination of the hare population, the predator population, and the food available for the hares.
Identify the predators that play the greatest role in influencing the snowshoe hare population.
coyotes
lynx
What was the key to understanding the controls on the snowshoe hare population numbers?
studying all three trophic levels simultaneously
Which statement is correct about the functional response of coyotes and lynx to the increase in the hare population?
Coyotes killed more hares than lynxes while the hare population was increasing.
What are the main controls on the snowshoe hare population?
the size of the predator population and the amount of food available for the snowshoe hare population
True or false: Mathematical models offer population ecologists an opportunity to manipulate variables that cannot be controlled in the field.
true
What happened to the hare population when the Krebs research team excluded predators and added food to the study plot?
The hare population increased by 11 times.
Identify the trophic levels that influence the population cycle of the snowshoe hare.
the predators of the hares
the hares’ food source
the hares
Which animals did Alfred Lotka use to model predator-prey interactions?
butterflies
moths
In order to understand the dynamics of the snowshoe hare population, how many trophic levels was it necessary to study?
three
Within the Lotka-Volterra model, what limits the host population size?
amount of predators