Competition

Question 1

community

Answer 1

all of the species that interact w/ each other in a certain area
- type of specie interaction

Question 2

commensalism

Answer 2

a symbiotic relationship in which one org (the commensal) benefits & the other (the host) is not harmed
- type of specie interaction

(+/0)

Question 3

competition

Answer 3

(ecology) interaction btwn 2 species or 2 individuals trying to use the same limited resource (ie. water, food, living space)
- intraspecific or interspecific competition
- lowers fitness of both individuals
- type of specie interaction

(-/-)

Question 4

consumption

Answer 4

when one organism eats or absorbs nutrients from another

• interaction increases consumer’s fitness
• decreases victim’s fitness

(+/-)

Question 5

mutualism

Answer 5

a symbiotic relationship btwn 2 orgs (mutualists) that benefits both

• type of specie interaction
• not always beneficial (deceit pollination - venus fly trap)

(+/+)

Question 6

coevolution

Answer 6

pattern of evolution where two interacting species influence each other’s adaptations over time

(ie) deers become fast, wolves change hunting strategies

Question 7

coevolutionary arms race

Answer 7

repeating cycle of reciprocal adaptation

(ie) one nation develops a new weapon -> rival nation develops defensive weapon -> original nation makes new, more powerful weapon

Question 8

intraspecific competition

Answer 8

competition btwn members of the SAME species for SAME limited resources

• “w/in species”
• major cause of density-dependent growth

Question 9

interspecific competition

Answer 9

competition btwn members of DIFF species for SAME limited resources

• “btwn species”
• niches overlap

Question 10

niche

Answer 10

range of resources that a species can use & the range of conditions that it can tolerate
- more broadly, role that species plays in its ecosystem

Question 11

symmetric competition

Answer 11

ecological competition btwn 2 species in which both suffer similar declines in fitness
- result of niche overlap

Question 12

asymmetric competition

Answer 12

(ecological competition btwn 2 species) one species suffers a greater fitness decline than other

Question 13

competition exclusion principle

Answer 13

idea that two species cannot coexist together in the same place

• results in strong & weak competitor
• asymmetric competition

Question 14

fundamental niche

Answer 14

total theoretical range of environmental conditions that a species can tolerate

Question 15

realized niche

Answer 15

portion of the fundamental niche that a species actually occupies, given limiting factors such as competition w/ otro species

Question 16

fitness trade-offs

Answer 16

(evolutionary biology) inescapable compromise btwn 2 traits that cannot be optimized simultaneously
- good @ one thing, not the other

Question 17

niche differentiation

Answer 17

evolutionary change in resource b/c of competition

• occurs as result of character displacement
• resource partitioning

Question 18

character displacement

Answer 18

evolutionary change occurring in species’ traits

• overlapping ranges change in a way that reduces interspecific competition
• enables species to use diff. resources
• niche differentiation possible
• represents directional natural selection

Question 19

types of species interactions

Answer 19

(1) commensalism
(2) competition
(3) consumption
(4) mutualism