lecture 19 Flashcards
1
Q
communities
A
- a biological community is an assemblage of all population of organisms living close enough together for potential interaction
- community boundaries are arbitrary
- necessary for the conservation of endangered species and wildlife management
- control of zoonosis and agricultural communities
- can be described by its species composition
- community dynamics and how species composition changes over time as a result of both biotic and abiotic factors
2
Q
inter-specific interactions within a community
A
- members of one species may interact with members of a different species within a community
- has a profound affect on population dynamics
3
Q
inter-specific competition
A
- populations of two different species competing for the same resource which is limited
- has both a neg effect on both populations
4
Q
mutualism
A
-both species benefit from this interspecific competition
5
Q
predation
A
- is an interaction in which one species kills a member of another species to be used as a food source
- pos and neg relationship
6
Q
herbivory
A
- is the consumption of plants or algae by an animal
- pos and neg relationship
7
Q
parasites and pathogens
A
-pos and neg relationship
8
Q
ecological niche
A
- the sum of a species use of abiotic and biotic resources within an environment
- when two populations have over lapping niches
- both require a resource that is only present is limited supply
- the effects of competition are easily studied be removing all members of a particular species from an area of interest
- also function to lower the carrying capacity of an environment
9
Q
mutualism
A
- both species benefit from a mutalistic relationship
- reef-building corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates
- in order to build and sustain massive reefs that are a community staple lots of metabolic fuel is necessary
- dinoflagellates live within cells of coral photosynthesize providing-half of necessary sugar
- dinoflagellates gain a source of shelter
- access to light source
- metabolic wastes of the coral (ammonia and carbon dioxide)
10
Q
predation
A
- member of one species is killed while a member of another species benefits
- huge impact on reproductive success
- adaptations have developed in order to protect against predators
- natural selection
- mechanical devices: quills of a porcupine
- visual devices indicative of chemical defenses
- predator learns to associates certain colors with toxic chemicals and stays away
11
Q
herbivory
A
- usually only plant parts are eaten by the herbivore
- not fatal
- large energy cost to the plant to regenerate the lost portions
- defenses have evolved similar to predation defenses
- many chemical defenses such as nicotine
- brussels sprouts and cabbage contain sulfur compounds
- characteristic flavour
- toxic to insects and animals
- these natural defenses are manipulated in pesticide development
12
Q
herbivory and co-evolution
A
- coevolution: reciprocal evolutionary adaptations in two species
- a change in one species acts as a selective force leading to changes in another species
- counter-adaption is developed and consequently effects the first species
- ex) toxic chemicals produced by plant to protect its leaves from insects
- caterpillar makes enzymes that break down toxin
- advantageous as few other insects can use this plant as a food source
- plant now developed other substances to try and counter the caterpillar’s defenses
13
Q
parasites and pathogens
A
- parasite lives on or in a host that it obtains nouishment from
- ex) flukes and tapeworms
- pathogens: disease causing bacteria, viruses and fungi
- non-native pathogens within a community have a rapid and particularly devastating effect
- affect plants, animals and humans
14
Q
trophic structure
A
- very important in community dynamics
- trophic structure is the pattern of feeding relationships
- many different levels
- food chain: sequence of food transfer up the trophic levels
- arrows move from food to consumers
- moves nutrients and energy from the producers through to the various trophic levels within a community
- producers are located at the bottom of the chain
- autotrophs that support all others
- plants on land
- photosynthetic protists and cyanobacteria in water
- all organisms located in trophic groups above the producers are heterotrophs
- collectively referred to as consumer
- primary consumers are generally herbivores that eat plants and algae
ex) grashopper on land and zooplankton in water - secondary consumers include small mammals
- many birds and frogs
- teriary and qauternary consumers are higher level organisms such as killer whales
- detritivores and decomposers are not included in this chain:
- dervive energy from decomposition of dead organic matter from at all trophic levels
- decomposers are specifically prokatryotes and fungi
- detrivores are usually called scavengers
15
Q
interconnection of food chains
A
- food web: network of interconnecting food chains within a community
- arrows indicate direction of nutrient transfer
- colors indicate trophic level
- consumers may eat greater than one type of producer