Ecological Niches Flashcards
1
Q
What is an ecological niche?
A
- all the conditions necessary for an organism to survive and reproduce
2
Q
What is needed in order for a population to survive?
A
- its individuals must survive and reproduce
3
Q
What must individuals do in a population to ensure survival and reproduction?
A
- tolerate the physical environment (temperature, pH)
- obtain energy and nutrients
- cope with competition
- avoid predators
4
Q
What happens when two species with the same or similar ecological niches occupy the same habitat?
A
- their ecological niches will overlap to a greater or lesser extent
5
Q
What is specialisation?
A
- the structural and behavioural adaptations that enable individuals of different species to co-exist
6
Q
What does the competition that arises from overlapping ecological niches result in?
A
- competitive exclusion
- competitive coexistence
7
Q
When does competitive exclusion occur?
A
- when one of the two competing species is much more successful than the other
8
Q
When does competitive coexistence arise?
A
- it arises when two competing species coexist in the same habitat
