Lecture 32-Community Ecology

Question 0

4 types of interspecific interactions:

Answer 0

Interspecific competition, predation, herbivory, and symbiosis

Question 1

A group of populations of different species living close enough to interact.

Answer 1

Community

Question 2

Refers to an interaction in which an organism eats part of a plant or alga.

Answer 2

Herbivory

Question 3

Occurs when individuals of different species compete for a resource that limits their growth and survival.

Answer 3

Interspecific competition

Question 4

Occurs when individuals of two or more species live in direct and intimate contact with one another.

Answer 4

Symbiosis

Question 5

Refers to an interaction between species in which one species, the predator, kills and eats the other, the prey.

Answer 5

Predation

Question 6

Even a slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to local elimination of the inferior competitor.

Answer 6

Principle of competitive exclusion

Question 7

The sum of a species’ use of biotic and abiotic resources in its environment.

Answer 7

Ecological niches

Question 8

__________ __________ leads to competitive exclusion.

Answer 8

Niche overlap

Question 9

Niche overlap leads to:

Answer 9

Competitive exclusion

Question 10

The differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community.

Answer 10

Resource partitioning

Question 11

Indirect evidence of earlier interspecific competition resolved by the evolution of niche differentiation.

Answer 11

“The ghost of competition past”

Question 12

The tendency for characteristics to diverge more in sympatric than in allopatric populations of two species.

Answer 12

Character displacement

Question 13

When populations are sympatric, it means they are:

Answer 13

In the same place

Question 14

Sympatric populations of two closely related species would potentially compete for the same resources, resulting in:

Answer 14

The divergence in morphological features

Question 15

Many organisms have evolved __________ __________ against predation.

Answer 15

Defensive adaptation

Question 16

Camouflage; defense against visual predators.

Answer 16

Cryptic coloration

Question 17

Resembling an object that is a specific feature of its environment.

Answer 17

Mimesis

Question 18

Warning coloration displaying toxic, noxious, or potent chemical defense, specifically against vertebrate predators.

Answer 18

Aposematic coloration

Question 19

Aposematic coloration is used specifically against:

Answer 19

Vertebrate predators

Question 20

Eye spots mimicking vertebrate predators.

Answer 20

Startle display

Question 21

Moths use startle display to resemble the eyes of an:

Answer 21

Owl

Question 22

Snakes use startle display to resemble:

Answer 22

Caterpillars

Question 23

Aposematic inedible model and an edible mimic.

Answer 23

Batesian mimicry

Question 24

The model and the mimic are both distasteful and aposematic and benefit from existence.

Answer 24

Mullerian mimicry

Question 25

Plant defense adaptation against herbivores.

Answer 25

Herbivory

Question 26

3 types of herbivory:

Answer 26

Mechanical defense, allelochemicals, and semiochemicals

Question 27

Examples of mechanical defense:

Answer 27

Thorns

Question 28

Examples of allelochemicals:

Answer 28

Toxins (nicotine or caffeine), polymers (lignins and tannins)

Question 29

One organism, the parasite, derives its nourishment from another organism, its host, which is harmed in the process.

Answer 29

Parasitism

Question 30

Interspecific interaction that benefits both species.

Answer 30

Mutualism

Question 31

Interaction between species that benefits one of the species, but neither harms or helps the other.

Answer 31

Commensalism

Question 32

The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.

Answer 32

Species diversity

Question 33

The number of different species in the community.

Answer 33

Species richness

Question 34

The proportion each species represents of all individuals in the community.

Answer 34

Relative abundance

Question 35

The structure and dynamics of a community depend in the:

Answer 35

Feeding relationships between organisms

Question 36

Different feeding relationships in an ecosystem, which determine the route of energy flow and the pattern of chemical cycling.

Answer 36

Trophic structure

Question 37

The transfer of food energy up the trophic levels from its source to carnivores, and to decomposers.

Answer 37

Food chain

Question 38

Interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Answer 38

Food web

Question 39

Typically, how long is each food chain within a food web?

Answer 39

Only a few links long

Question 40

Generally, what limits the length of food chains?

Answer 40

The inefficiency of energy transfer along the chain

Question 41

The most abundant, or have the highest biomass in a community.

Answer 41

Dominant species

Question 42

An example of a dominant species:

Answer 42

Ants

Question 43

Exert strong control on community structure by pivotal ecological roles or niches.

Answer 43

Keystone species

Question 44

An example of a keystone species:

Answer 44

Sea urchins

Question 45

Dramatically alter their physical environments on a large scale.

Answer 45

Ecosystem engineers

Question 46

2 examples of ecosystem engineers:

Answer 46

Beavers and humans

Question 47

An event that changes a community by removing organisms from it or altering resource availability.

Answer 47

Disturbance

Question 48

6 examples of a disturbance:

Answer 48

Storm, fire, flood, drought, overgrazing, and human activity

Question 49

What do disturbances do?

Answer 49

They reduce the dominant species and shift resources

Question 50

__________-__________ species have an opportunity.

Answer 50

Disturbance-adapted

Question 51

The community response after disturbance.

Answer 51

Ecological succession

Question 52

A type of succession that occurs in an area where there were originally no organisms present and where soil has not yet formed.

Answer 52

Primary succession

Question 53

Describe secondary succession.

Answer 53

A type of succession that occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil or substrate intact.

Question 54

The increase in species richness or biodiversity that occurs from the poles to the tropics.

Answer 54

Latitudinal gradients

Question 55

All other factors being equal, the larger the area, the more species it has.

Answer 55

Area effect

Question 56

What does island species richness depend on?

Answer 56

Size, distance from mainland, immigration, and extinction