Parasitim Flashcards
What is an ecological niche
An ecological niche is a multidimensional summary of the tolerances and requirements of a species
Fundamental nice
A niche that a species occupies in the absence of any interspecific competition
Realised niche
A niche that is occupied in response to interspecific competition
What is a result of interspecific competition
Competitive exclusion
What is competitive exclusion
Where the niches of two species are so similar that one declines to local extinction
How can competitors co-exist?
By resource partitioning e.g. bats feed at night and birds during the dat
What is parasitism
Is the symbiotic interaction between a parasite and its host (+/-)
Parasite- host effect?
A parasite gains benefit in terms of nutrients at the expense of it host
How is parasitism different to predator-prey?
The reproductive potential of the parasite is greater than that of the host.
What is a parasites niche like?
Most parasites have a narrow (specialised) niche as they are very host-specific.
Features of a parasite due to host benefits
As the host provides so many of the parasites needs, many parasites are degenerate, lacking structures and organs found in other organisms
What is an ectoparastie
A parasite that lives on the surface e.g. ticks
What is an endoparasite
A parasite that lives within the tissues of its hosts
