Chapter 8 Vocabulary

Question 1

Species Richness

Answer 1

Number of different species in a community

Question 2

species evenness

Answer 2

Number of individuals within a species in a community

Question 3

niche structure

Answer 3

The number of ecological niches, how they resemble or differ from each other, and how species interact with one another

Question 4

species equilibrium model/theory of island biogeography

Answer 4

Theory created by MacArthur and Wilson to explain the differences in species richness with island size

Question 5

habitat islands

Answer 5

National parks surrounded surrounded by a sea of developed and fragmented land

Question 6

native species

Answer 6

Species that normally live and thrive in a particular community

Question 7

nonnative species/alien species/invasive species

Answer 7

Species that evolved somewhere else and then migrate into or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into a community

Question 8

indicator species

Answer 8

Species that serve as early warnings of damages or danger to a community

Question 9

fragmentation

Answer 9

Species reproduce asexually and split themselves into pieces (fragments)

Question 10

keystone species

Answer 10

Species that play roles affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem

Question 11

interspecific competition

Answer 11

Situation in which one species limits access of another species to a resource, regardless of whether the resource is abundant or scarce.

Question 12

resource partitioning

Answer 12

Process of dividing up resources in an ecosystem so that species with similar needs (overlapping ecological niches) use the same scarce resources at different times, in different ways, or in different places

Question 13

predation

Answer 13

Situation in which an organism of one species (the predator) captures and feeds on parts or all of an organism of another species (the prey)

Question 14

chemical warfare

Answer 14

Common strategy used by animals. Prey species discourage predators with chemical that are poisonous, irritating, foul smelling, or bad tasting

Question 15

parasitism

Answer 15

Interaction between species in which one organism, called the parasite, preys on another organism, called the host, by living on or in the host

Question 16

mutualism

Answer 16

Type of species interaction in which both participating species generally benefit

Question 17

commensalism

Answer 17

An interaction between organisms of different species in which one type of species benefits and the other type is neither helped nor harmed to any degree

Question 18

ecological succession

Answer 18

Process in which communities of plant and animal species in a particular area are replaced over time by a series of different and often more complex communities

Question 19

primary succession

Answer 19

Ecological succession in a bare area that has never been occupied by a community of organs

Question 20

secondary succession

Answer 20

Ecological succession in an area in which natural vegetation has been removed or destroyed but the soil is not destroyed

Question 21

pioneer species

Answer 21

First hardy species, often microbes, mosses, and lichens, that begin colonizing a site as the first stage of ecological succession

Question 22

early successional plant species

Answer 22

Plant species found in the early stages of succession that grow close to the ground, can establish large populations quickly under harsh conditions, and have short lives.

Question 23

midsuccessional plant species

Answer 23

Grasses and low shrubs that are less hardy than early successional plant species

Question 24

late succession

Answer 24

Mostly trees that can tolerate shade and form a fairly stable complex forest community

Question 25

disturbance

Answer 25

A discrete event that disrupts an ecosystem or community. Examples of human-caused disturbances include deforestation, overgrazing, and plowing.