Community Ecology - Ch. 20

Question 1

intraspecific

Answer 1

interactions WITHIN a species

Question 2

interspecific

Answer 2

interactions BETWEEN DIFFERENT species

Question 3

symbiosis

Answer 3

an intimate interaction between 2 species

Question 4

What are some examples of symbiosis?

Answer 4

Parasitism– one organism benefits, the other is harmed Mutualism– benefits both partners

Question 5

competitive exclusion principle

Answer 5

2 similar species that compete for the same limiting resources cannot coexist in the same place

Question 6

ecological niche

Answer 6

how a species uses the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

Question 7

What are the 2 outcomes of species with identical niches who compete?

Answer 7

1. local extinction in less competitive species OR 2. one species evolves to use a different set of resources

Question 8

resource partitioning

Answer 8

differentiation of niches that allows similar species to coexist in a community

Question 9

What are the different trophic levels?

Answer 9

(from bottom to top) primary producer (e.g., grass) –> primary consumer (e.g., caterpillar) –> secondary consumer (e.g., bird) –> tertiary consumer (e.g., coyote)

Question 10

What are decomposers?

Answer 10

Decomposers feed on both deaf producers and consumers. They recycle nutrients and biological molecules.

Question 11

How much energy is lost in the transfer between tropic levels?

Answer 11

90% of energy is lost, mostly as heat.

Question 12

keystone species

Answer 12

top carnivores that play a key role int he environment; when they are removed, there is a drastic effect on the other species in that ecosystem. Keystone species help maintain species diversity.