Community Ecology

Question 1

Primary producers

Answer 1

thing that get eaten: plants

Question 2

2 types of NONsymbiotic interspecific interactions

Answer 2

1. predation

2. competition

Question 3

INTRAspecific interactions:

Answer 3

interactions between members of the same species

Question 4

Competition:

Answer 4

1 of 2 types of NONsymbiotic interspecific interactions

a -/-interaction between individuals of different species competing for shared resources

Question 5

Ectoparasites:

Answer 5

1 of 2 types of parasites in parasitism

parasites that feed externally on their host

e.g. from class: ticks feed on blood from host’s skin

Question 6

Savanna:

Answer 6

open/unstable grassy ecosystem that supports large grazers and shelter seeking organisms

state between 2 extremes: grassland (no trees) and woodland (too/many trees)

Question 7

NONsymbiotic interspecific interactions

Answer 7

species do NOT live in prolonged intimate contact, but still periodically associate with each other

Question 8

Symbioses/symbiotic interactions

Answer 8

Type of INTERspecies interaction

when individuals of two species live in direct, intimate contact with each other for prolonged periods of time

Question 9

2 types of parasites

Answer 9

ectoparasite

endoparasite

Question 10

Resource partitioning:

Answer 10

when differentiation of niches occurs in response to limited resources and interspecific competition

e.g. from class: warblers foraging at different portions of christmas tree looking tree

Question 11

Trophic cascades interaction diagram

Answer 11

looks like a big web of solid lines between orgs (to represent direct interactions) and dotted lines between orgs (to represent indirect interactions).

Also has + and - to indicate whether interactions are beneficial or harmful

exp. from class: diagram we drew of wolf, beaver, elk, and bison.

Question 12

keystone species:???

Answer 12

Species that exert strong control over community structure as function of their niches such that habitat is maintained/created not by physically altering the community

Have disproportionately large impact on ecosystem relative to number/biomass of individuals present

exp. from class: the ants who successfully reduced herbivory on behalf of the trees they lived in

Question 13

What was the CONCLUSION of the elephant/ant experiment from class?

Answer 13

After reducing the ants in certain trees by a measurable amount, the trees with fewer ants were eaten more by elephants.

“Acacia/ant mutualism integral to maintenance of savanna ecosystems by preventing overbrowsingof acacias by elephants”

Question 14

Primary consumers

Answer 14

things that eat plants: herbivores

Question 15

Parasitism:

Answer 15

1 of 3 types of symbiotic interaction

+/-relationship (good for the parasite, bad for the host)

Question 16

Ecosystem engineers:

Answer 16

species that directly and dramatically alter their physical environment such that habitat is maintained or created

exp. from class: elephants knocking down trees to eat them, tipping the balance of savanna towards grassland or woodland

Question 17

Ecological niche:

Answer 17

the sum of a species’ use of its biotic and abiotic environment

Question 18

competitive exclusion principle

Answer 18

Two species cannot share a niche because one always outcompetes the other competitive exclusion

Question 19

Community:

Answer 19

a group of populations of different species that live close enough to one another to interact

Question 20

Interspecific interactions:

Answer 20

interactions between individuals of different species

Defined by the effects the interaction has on the organisms involved

Question 21

What was the point of the elephant/ant experiment from class?

Answer 21

To test H0: The savanna is not lost to elephant overbrowsingbecause ants viciously protect their acacia hosts and prevent elephants from eating them

Question 22

Grassland

Answer 22

Grassy, extreme opposite of woodland.

Question 23

Trophic cascades:

Answer 23

type of indirect interaction

when the effects of higher trophic level trickle down to lower levels

predators limit the density/behavior of their prey, thus enhance survival of next lower trophic level

exp. from class: otters eat urchin eat kelp; removing otter leaves too many urchin who eat too many kelp

Question 24

Tertiary consumers

Answer 24

Things that eat things that eat things that eat the things that eat plants: carnivore eaters

exp. from class: sharks (eat otters eat urchin eat kelp)

Question 25

Tropic level

Answer 25

indicates how high an organism is on the food chain

Question 26

Realized niche:

Answer 26

the portion of a species’ fundamental niche actually used in the presence of competition

exp. from class: barnacles on the sea shore; Experimentally remove competitors, observe niche expansion

Question 27

Trophic structure:

Answer 27

describes the feeding relationships where primary producers (plants), are eaten by herbivores (primary consumers), are eaten by carnivores

Question 28

Predation:

Answer 28

1 of 2 types of NONsymbiotic interspecific interactions

+/-interaction in which one species eats another (includes herbivory)

Question 29

Secondary consumers

Answer 29

Things that eat things that eat plants: carnivores

Question 30

3 types of symbiotic interactions

Answer 30

1. Parasitism
2. Commensalism
3. Mutualism

Question 31

Woodland

Answer 31

Lots of trees, extreme opposite of grassland.

Question 32

ENDOparasites:

Answer 32

1 of 2 types of parasites in parasitism

parasites that feed internally

e.g. from class : heart worm

Question 33

Commensalism:

Answer 33

1 of 3 types of symbiotic interaction

a +/0 relationship (good for one species, neutral for the other)

e.g. from class: african buffalo and egret bird who rides on its back and eats parasites off of its skin

hard to find in real life bc probably all interactions affect both parties on some level

Question 34

Mutualisms:

Answer 34

1 of 3 types of symbiotic interaction

+/+ relationships (good for both parties involved)

e.g. from class: ants that live in/eat nectar from acacia trees and bite any animals that try to eat the trees

Question 35

Can realized nice and fundamental niche be the same thing?

Answer 35

Yes

Question 36

Fundamental niche:

Answer 36

the full suite of resources potentially used by a species in absence of competition

exp. from class: barnacles on the sea shore; Experimentally remove competitors, observe niche expansion