Chapter 4 - Species Interactions and Community Ecology Flashcards
phytoplankton
microscopic photosynthetic algae, pratists, and cyanobacteria that drift near the surface of water bodies and generally form the first trophic level in an aquatic food chain.
zooplankton
tiny aquatic animals that feed on phytoplankton and generally make up the second layer of the food chain
competition
a relationship in which multiple organisms seek the same limited recourse
intraspecific competition
competition that takes place among members of the same species
interspecific competition
competition that takes place among members of two or more different species
fundamental niche
the full niche of a species
realized niche
the portion of the fundamental niche that is fully realized (used) by a species
species coexistence
an outcome of intraspecific competition in which no competing species fully excludes the other and the species continue to coexist
competition exclusion
an outcome of interspecific competition competition in which one species excludes another species from a resource entirely
character displacement
a phenomenon resulting from competition among species in which competing species evolve characteristics that better adapt them to specifically use the portion of the resource that they use. the species essentially become more different from each other reducing their competition
resource partitioning
the process by which species adapt to competition by evolving to use slightly different resources, or to use their shared resources in different ways, thus minimizing competition with one another
predation
the process in which one species (the predator) hunts, tracks, captures, and eventually kills its prey
predator
an organism that hunts, capture, kills and consumes individuals of another species, the prey
prey
an organism that is killed and consumed by another species
paratism
a relationship in which one organism, the parasite, depends on another, the host, for nourishment or some other benefit while simultaneously doing the host harm
parasite
the organism in a parasitic relation ship that extracts nourishment or some other benefit from the host
host
the organism in a parasitic relationship that suffers harm while providing the parasite nourishment or some other benefit
parasitoid
an insect that parasitizes other insects, generally causing eventual death of the host
pathogens
a parasite that causes disease in its host
coevolution
the process in which two or more species evolve in response to each other. parasites and hosts may coevolve , as may flowering plants and their pollinators
herbivory
the consumption of plants by animals
pollination
a plant-animal interaction in which one organism (for example a bee or hummingbird) transfers pollen (containing male sex cells) from flower to flower, fertilizing ovaries that grow into fruits with seeds
trophic levels
ranking in the feeding hierarchy of a food chain. organisms that have higher trophic levels consume those at lower trophic levels
mutualism
a relationship in which all participating organisms benefit from their interactions
symiosis
a relationship between different species of organisms that live in close physical proximities. people most often use this term to reference mutualistic relationships, but it can be used for both parasitic and mutualistic relationships
tertiary consumer
an organism that consumes secondary consumers and feeds at the fourth trophic level
carnivore
an organism that consumes animals
detritivore
an organism such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down leaf litter and other non-living matter into simple constituents that can be taken up and used by plants
food chain
a linear series of feeding relationships as organisms feed on one another, energy is transferred from lower to higher trophic levels
food web
a visual representation of feeding interactions within an ecological community that shows an array of relationships between organisms of different trophic levels
keystone species
a species that has an especially far reaching effect on a community
trophic cascade
a series of changes in the population sizes of organisms at different trophic levels in a food chain, alluring when predators at higher trophic levels indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels in check. trophic cascades may be evident when a top predator is eliminated from a system
disturbance
an event that affects environmental conditions rapidly and drastically, resulting in changes to the community and ecosystem. disturbance can be natural, or it van be caused by humans
succession
a stereotypical series of changes in the structure of an ecological community through time
primary succession
a stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops overtime, beginning with a lifeless substrate in terrestrial systems, primary succession begins when a piece of rock, sand, or sediment becomes newly exposed to the atmosphere and pioneer species arrive. when soil is lost
secondary succession
a stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops overtime, beginning when some event disrupts or dramatically alters an existing community
resistance
the ability of an ecological community to remain stable in the presence of a disturbance
resilience
the ability of an ecological community to change in response to disturbance but later return to its original state.
pioneer species
a species that arrives earliest, beginning the ecological process of succession in a terrestrial of aquatic community
phase shift (regime shift)
a fundamental shift in the overall character of an ecological community generally occurring after some extreme disturbance and after which the community may not return to its original state
no-analog community (novel community)
an ecological community composed of a novel mixture of organisms, with no current analog or historical precedent
introduced species
species introduced by humans from one place to another (whether intentionally or not), a minority of introduced species become invasive species
invasive species
a species that spreads widely and rapidly becomes dominant in a community, interfering with the communities normal functions
climax community
in the traditional view of ecological succession, a community that remains in place with little modification (until a disturbance comes along)
restoration ecology
the study of the historical conditions of ecological communities as they existed before humans altered them. principles of restoration ecology are applied to the practice of ecological restoration
ecological restoration
efforts to reverse the effects of human disruption of ecological systems and to restore communities to their conditions before disruption
biome
a major regional complex of similar plant communities; a large ecological unit defined by its dominant plant type and vegetation structure
climate diagram (climograph)
a visual representation of a regions average monthly temperature and precipitation
temperate deciduous forest
a biome consisting of midlatitude forests characterized by broad-leafed trees that lose their leaves each fall and remain dormant during the winter. these forests occur in areas where precipitation is spread relatively evenly throughout the year; much of Europe, eastern china, and eastern north america
temperate grassland
a biome whose vegetation is dominated by grasses and features more extreme temperature differences between winter and summer and less precipitation than temperate deciduous forests. also known as steppe, prairie
forest
any ecosystem characterized by having a high density of tress
tropical dry forest
a biome that consists of deciduous trees and occurs at tropical and subtropical latitudes where wet and dry seasons each span about half a year. widespread in India, Africa, south america, and Northern Australia. also known as a tropical deciduous forest
tropical rainforest
a biome that consists of year-round rain and uniformly warm temperatures. found in central america, south america, southwest Asia, west Africa, and other tropical regions
temperate rainforest
a biome consisting of tall coniferous trees, cooler and less species full than tropical rainforests and milder and wetter than temperate deciduous forests.
savanna
a biome characterized by grasslands interspersed with clusters of acacias and other trees. savanna is found across parts of Africa (where it was the ancestral home of our species), south america, Australia, india, and other dry tropical regions
desert
the driest biome on earth, with annual precipitation of less than 25 cm, because deserts have relatively little vegetation to insulate them from temperature extremes, sunlight readily heats them in the daytime, but day time heat losses quality in the night, so temperatures vary widely from day to night and in different seasons
tundra
a biome that is nearly as dry as a desert but is located at very high altitudes along the northern edges of Russia, Canada, and Scandinavia
permafrost
in tundra, underground soil that remains more or less permanently frozen
boreal forest
a biome of Northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across much of Canada, Russia, Alaska, and Scandinavia, also known as taiga, boreal forest consists of a limited number of species of evergreen trees, such as black spruce, that dominate large regions of forest interspersed with occasional bags and lakes
chaparral
a biome consisting mostly of densely thickened evergreen shrubs occurring in limited small patches. its “Mediterranean” climate of mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers is induced by oceanic influences. in addition to ringing the Mediterranean sea, chaparral occurs along the coast of California, Chile, and Southern Australia
rain-shadow
a region of one side of a mountain range that experiences arid climate. this occurs because mountain moist air rising over the terrain from the opposite direction releases precipitation on the windward slope as it cools, leaving the airs humidity low, it descends over the peak and into the rain-shadow region
