Higher Level Ecology Flashcards
What is contest competition?
Where there is an active physical contest between two individual organisms
What is scramble competition?
Where all the competing individuals get some of the resource
What is predation?
The catching, killing and eating of another organism
What is a predator?
An organism that catches, kills and eats another organism
What is prey?
The organism that is eaten by the predator
What is parasitism?
Occurs when 2 organisms of different species live in close association and one organism obtains its food from, and to the disadvantage of, the second organism.
What is symbiosis?
Occurs when 2 organisms of different species live (and have to live) in close association and at least one of them benefits.
How do animals adapt to their environment?
Change feeding habits Camouflage Producing protective coats Moving away from over-populated areas Reproductive strategies
How do plants adapt to survive competition?
Produce large number of seeds
Seeds germinate quickly
Plants thrive even in poorer soil conditions
What are the positive effects of predation?
Stabilise the community.
Carnivores control the number of herbivores so prevent over-grazing.
Eliminate less well adapted prey
Name adaptions of a predator?
Keen senses and sharp teeth
Change diet to suit prey available
Live and hunt in packs
Name adaptions of prey.
Faster than predator
In herds/flocks
Camouflage
What factors contribute to a predator/prey relationship?
Availability and abundance of food
Concealment (hiding place)
Movement of prey and predators
What is mutualism?
Form of symbiosis where both organisms benefit
Where would you see mutualism?
Clover (nitrogen fixing bacteria)
What factors control populations?
Competition
Predation
Parasitism
Symbiosis
What are the limitations of a pyramid by numbers?
Dont take into account the size of organism
Cannot always be drawn to scale
What is the inference of a pyramid of numbers?
1) Number of organisms decline as you go up because energy loss between each trophic level
2) Body size usually increases as you go up pyramid.
What is intra-specific competition?
Takes place between members of the same species
What is inter-specific competition?
Occurs between members of different species
