Community Ecology

Question 1

What is a community?

Answer 1

A group of populations of different species interacting with one another in the same environment.

Question 2

What is a niche?

Answer 2

What a species does in its community, every interaction a species has with its community members.

Question 3

What is a habitat?

Answer 3

Where the species lives in its community.

Question 4

What is biodiversity?

Answer 4

The number of different species in a community.

Question 5

Having more niches and habitats in a community leads to more species living there, which leads to a higher what?

Answer 5

Biodiversity

Question 6

Why is biodiversity important?

Answer 6

Increases ecosystem productivity as each species has an important role to play, greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms, and keeps Earth’s natural systems operating.

Question 7

Over time, nature evolves what?

Answer 7

Relationships

Question 8

Do organisms or populations live in isolation from other individuals or the environment?

Answer 8

No, they do not live in isolation.

Question 9

What are the six types of species interactions?

Answer 9

Commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, predatory, competitive, and amensalism

Question 10

What is a symbiotic relationship?

Answer 10

Two species that physically touch one another for a relationship to occur (live together)

Question 11

Which two relationships are almost always symbiotic?

Answer 11

Mutualism and parasitism

Question 12

Which relationship is always symbiotic?

Answer 12

Commensalism

Question 13

Which relationship is usually symbiotic?

Answer 13

Amensalism

Question 14

What is a commensalistic relationship?

Answer 14

One species benefits and the other does not harm nor benefit. (+,0)

Question 15

What are examples of commensalism?

Answer 15

Egrets among livestock, birds and army ants, leeches, and barnacles attached to the back of whales or shells of horseshoe crabs

Question 16

What is a mutualistic relationship?

Answer 16

Both species benefit (+,+)

Question 17

What are three examples of mutualism?

Answer 17

Pollinators and flowering plants, remoras and sharks, and 48% of land plants rely on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi

Question 18

What do remoras and sharks get out of their mutualistic relationship?

Answer 18

Remoras get free ride/leftovers and sharks get rid of parasites.

Question 19

What do land plants and fungi get out of their mutualistic relationship?

Answer 19

Plants get inorganic compounds and trace elements and fungi get nutrients.

Question 20

What do plants and pollinators get out of their mutualistic relationship?

Answer 20

Plants get pollen dispersal and pollinator gets nectar and pollen

Question 21

What is parasitism?

Answer 21

One species draws benefit from another but does not immediately kill it (+,-)

Question 22

What are examples of a parasitic relationship?

Answer 22

HIV in human white blood cells, mistletoe, and heartworm, tapeworms, fleas, and ticks

Question 23

What is a predatory relationships?

Answer 23

One species draws benefit from another species by immediately killing and eating it (-,-)

Question 24

Is a predatory relationship considered symbiotic?

Answer 24

No

Question 25

When is grazing considered predation?

Answer 25

When the plant dies

Question 26

Can plants be in predatory relationships?

Answer 26

Yes as there are carnivorous plants

Question 27

What are the four examples of prey defenses?

Answer 27

Camouflage, mimicry, warning coloration, and moment-of-truth defenses

Question 28

What is warning coloration?

Answer 28

When a prey tells a predator that it is potentially dangerous

Question 29

What are examples of warning coloration?

Answer 29

Bright colors or false eyes spots to startle and confuse others

Question 30

What is mimicry?

Answer 30

Once an animal experiences the defense of the model organism, it remembers the appearance as it possesses an overt antipredator defense.

Question 31

What is moment-of-truth defenses?

Answer 31

When animals are cornered

Question 32

What are examples of moment-of-truth defenses?

Answer 32

Examples include snarling, growling, showing their bare teeth, spewing odors, looking bigger, and etc.

Question 33

What is a competitive relationship?

Answer 33

Two populations or individuals fight for resources, causing harm to both (-,-)

Question 34

What are the two examples of competitive relationships?

Answer 34

Intra-specific and inter-specific

Question 35

What is intraspecific competition?

Answer 35

Competition between the same species

Question 36

What are examples of intraspecific competition?

Answer 36

Food, light, nutrients, space, and mates

Question 37

What is interspecific competition?

Answer 37

Competition between two different species

Question 38

What are examples of interspecific competition?

Answer 38

Trees competing for light, niche/habitat overlay, and cheetahs and lions compete for the same prey.

Question 39

What is competitive exclusion?

Answer 39

No two species can indefinitely occupy the same niche at the same time.

Question 40

What is amensalism?

Answer 40

When one species unintentionally harms another (-,0)

Question 41

What are examples of amensalistic relationships?

Answer 41

Sheep/cattle making trails in the grass which kills it, elephants stepping on insects, and the bread mold Penicillium secretes penicillin, which is a chemical that kills bacteria.