Community Ecology Flashcards
All species within a given area are going to _ in many different ways
Interact
Whenever the resources are scarce, you will see _ happen for those resources
Competition
Intraspecific Competition
Competition within the same species
Interspecific Competition
Competition between different species
Competitive Exclusion
When one species out-competes another species for the same resources and eliminates the losing species
Species Coexistence
Each species finds a mutual existence for their resources
Fundamental Niche
The entire ecological capacity of an organism
Realized Niche
What an organism actually fulfills due to competition
Resource Partitioning
When two competing organisms adapt to share resources in different ways
Character Displacement
When the competing species ultimately evolves to match their realized niche; can be led by resource partitioning
Predation
When one species hunts, captures, and kills another species
Some critters have adapted to evade predators:
Cryptic Coloration
Warning Coloration
Mimicry
Parasitism
Where one organism will harm another organism without killing it
Herbivory
Where an animal feeds on plants; probably the most common type of exploitation; most plants can withstand the eating, but some have adapted very unique ways of defending themselves
Mutualism
Where two species will benefit from each others’ existence; some are borderline parasitism, but most often the association results in symbiosis, a peaceful existence
Other Interactions
Amensalism: One organism is harmed and the other is unaffected
Commensalism: One organism is benefited and the other is unaffected