lecture 1

Question 1

community ecology

Answer 1

study of interactions of species in environment
- food web

Question 2

Predation

Answer 2

Predator kills prey for consumption

Question 3

competition

Answer 3

two organisms use same resource that is insufficient to supply them both

Question 4

mutualism

Answer 4

interaction between species where both benefit

Question 5

parasitism

Answer 5

one organism takes resources of host without killing it immediately

Question 6

Behavioural Ecology

Answer 6

study of animal behaviour
- how animals decide what to eat

Question 7

factors affecting foraging theory

Answer 7

1. abundance of different prey types
2. catchability of prey
3. quality of prey
4. competition
5. predation risk
6. essential nutrients
7. protection from toxins

Question 8

Ecosystem ecology

Answer 8

flow of energy and matter through biotic and abiotic components

Question 9

bottom up controls

Answer 9

• abiotic factors such as sunlight, nutrients, water that determine primary producer abundance
• ex nitrogen abundance: limiting nutrient but is 78% of atm. needs to be fixed by microbes so variable in soil

Question 10

Top down

Answer 10

predation controls abundance of lower trophic levels

Question 11

Population ecology

Answer 11

Demographics in the environment
- ex: cyclical population abundance of salmon as a result of 2 year life cycle