Community Ecology Flashcards
What are the four types of interactions between members of a species?
Competition, Consumption, Mutualism, Commensalism
Coevolution
A pattern of evolution in which two interacting species reciprocally influence each other’s adaptations over time.
Coevolution arms-race
A series of adaptations and counter-adaptations observed in species that interact closely over time and affect each other’s fitness.
intraspecific competition
Competition between members of the same species for the same limited resource.
niche
The particular set of habitat requirements of a certain species and the role that species plays in its ecosystem.
competitive exclusion principle
The principle that two species cannot coexist in the same ecological niche in the same area because one species will out-compete the other.
asymmetric competition
Ecological competition between two species in which one species suffers a much greater fitness decline than the other
symmetric competition
Ecological competition between two species in which both suffer similar declines in fitness.
fundamental niche
The ecological space that a species occupies in its habitat in the absence of competitors.
realized niche
The ecological niche that a species occupies in the presence of competitors.
niche differentiation
The change in resource use by competing species that occurs as the result of character displacement.
character displacement
The tendency for the traits of similar species that occupy overlapping ranges to change in a way that reduces interspecific competition.
three types of consumption?
Herbivory, parasitism and predation
constitutive defenses
A defensive trait that is always manifested even in the absence of a predator or pathogen. Also called standing defense.
mullerian mimicry
A type of mimicry in which two (or more) harmful species resemble each other.
batesian mimicry
A type of mimicry in which a harmless or palatable species resembles a dangerous or poisonous species
inducible defenses
A defensive trait that is manifested only in response to the presence of a consumer (predator or herbivore) or pathogen
meta-analysis
A comparative analysis of the results of many smaller, previously published studies.
what factors limit herbivory consumption?
top-down control, nitrogen limitation and effective defense
climax community
The stable, final community that develops from ecological succession.
keystone species
A species that has an exceptionally great impact on the other species in its ecosystem relative to its abundance.
disturbance
In ecology, any event that disrupts a community, usually causing loss of some individuals or biomass from it.
disturbance regime
The characteristic disturbances that affect a given ecological community.
succession
In ecology, the gradual colonization of a habitat after an environmental disturbance (e.g., fire, flood), usually by a series of species.
