Ecological Niche Flashcards
Spatial Habitat
The physical area inhabited by any particular organism
Fundamental and Realized Niches
Fundamental niche is the potential niche that a species can inhabit, given the adaptations and tolerance limits
Realized niche is the actual niche that a species inhabits, which differs to the fundamental niche due to competition with other species
Competitive Exclusion
Competitive exclusion states that two species competing for the same limiting resources can’t co-exist in the same niche
Adaptations of Plant to Harvest Light
Canopy: Trees form a dense layer which captures most of sunlight and have tall trunks and deep roots to support height
Liana: Plants use existing trees as support to reach sunlight, with adaptations such as hooks to help them climb
Epiphytes: Plants grow off branches of trees to access light without needing to have a strong trunk, and often have adaptations to capture rain and nutrients
Strangler Epiphyte: Starts as epiphyte but then sends roots down to the ground where it strangles host tree and takes its place in the canopy
Shade-tolerant Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants: Plants that are adapted to survive in low-light conditions, and usually have larger leaves to capture more available light
Mixotrophs
Both auto and heterotrophs meaning it can make use of more than one mode of nutrition, with there being two types:
Obligate: Needs both systems to grow and thrive
Facultative: Can survive on one system but uses the other as supplement
Predators Physical Adaptations
Predators use their senses to detect prey and chase them down
They can fly, run or swim rapidly and precisely which is key in chasing down prey
Predators have a brain that can process and assess situations quickly to change circumstances and make complex decisions rapidly
Prey Chemical Adaptations
Prey can produce chemicals to fool predators or produce chemicals that taste bad or poison the predator
Prey Behavioural Adaptations
Many animal behaviours are instinctive and coded in DNA, which includes fleeing when seeing a predator, hiding, or joining in packs to ward off predators
Obligate Aerobes
Organisms that can’t survive in the absence of oxygen, and rely on aerobic respiration to release energy from food. They can carry our anaerobic respiration, but it can only be for a short time as any longer would have damaging effects
Facultative Anaerobes
Organisms that mainly respire aerobically but can also switch fully to anaerobic respiration if oxygen is absent, with no negative effects unlike obligate aerobes
How Plants Protect Themselves from Herbivores
Thick bark is difficult for insects and some animals to penetrate which protects plants against animals
Thorns and spikes deter herbivores
Tiny hairs of silica on stem and underside of leaves are filled with chemical irritants which scratches animal’s skin if they try to rub against plant
Phytotoxins are plant poisons which can cause nausea and cardiac problems when ingested
Predators Chemical Adaptations
Some animals like the Black Mamba Snake inject venom (chemicals) into prey to paralyze them
Pheromones are organic molecules used to send airborne messages and can be used to attract mates
Holozoic Nutrition and Process
A way of getting nutrients by ingesting all or part of an organism
Eaten organism’s parts are ingested, digested and broken down into nutrients, absorbed and taken into the blood stream, assimilated and used within the body, and finally egested
Obligate Anaerobes
(Usually single-celled) organisms that cannot tolerate oxygen, and can only carry out anaerobic respiration
Types of Teeth
Incisors at the front of the mouth to cut and slice food
Canines are to the side of the incisors to tear and rip food
Premolars are in the middle of the mouth to crush and grind food
Molars are at the back to grind food
Adaptations for Herbivoes to Feed on Plants
Cows and sheep have specialized back teeth that are broad and flat for grinding plant matter.
They are ruminants, and swallow the grass before fully chewing it which then gets regurgitated when they’re resting to chew it more, which is called chewing the cud.
They also have archaea and bacteria in their digestive systems to break down cellulose.
Prey Physical Adaptations
Prey can camouflage and blend in with the environment, some animals have unique colors to inform potential predators that they are poisonous (aposematism)
Some prey have warning vocalizations to warn fellow prey
Some animals can grow a protective shell to deter predators, forming exoskeleton to protect themselves
Saprotrophs
Live on dead organic matter, and secrete digestive enzymes to digest dead organic matter externally then absorb products of digestion
Outcomes for Competition for Same Resources
Competitive Exclusion: One species outcompetes the other, which drives it to local extinction. This usually happens when both species have similar resource requirements
Niche Partitioning: The two species evolve to use different resources or occupy different parts of the habitat which reduces competition and creates more specific niches
Character Displacement: The two species evolve their physical or behavioural traits to allow them to use different resources to avoid competition
Difference with Autotroph and Heterotroph
Autotroph synthesizes or produces its own molecules from simple inorganic substances in its environment
Heterotroph gains organic molecules from the tissues of other organisms (consuming other organisms)
What is a Niche
A unique role that a species plays in the community, which includes its habitat, role, feeding activities and interactions with other species
Types of Nutrition for Archaea
Photosynthesis
Chemosynthesis
Heterotrophic Nutrition
Chemoautotroph
Types of Autotrophs
Photoautotrophs: Use light energy
Chemoautotroph: Use energy from oxidation of chemicals
Difference with Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors are living things within an ecosystem
Abiotic Factors are non-living components within an ecosystem
Predator Behavioral Adaptations
Some predators ambush, where they hide and wait for prey to come near and pounce on them
Some predators hunt in packs
Some predators pursuit prey and rely on their speed to outrun them
