Test 3 Flashcards
Ecological Community
The species that interact within a specific area
Intraspecific competition
members of the same species pursue limited resources
Interspecific competition
the interactions among different species as they compete for shared resources
Competitive exclusion principle
two species that directly compete for essential resources cannot coexist. Assumes that environmental conditions stay constant. (Gause)
Fundamental Niche
complete range of environmental conditions in which an organism can exist(Temperature, pH, material resources)
Realized Niche
species exists due to competition
Ecological Niche
The role an organism fills within its habitat. Division of resources. Potential competitors my coexist
Exploitation competition
One diner might outcompete the other by eating faster. (Consume resource faster) Growth rate of population of limiting resource is higher
Interference Competition
One diner might more food by threatening the other. (Stop competitor from consuming resource)
Carbohydrates are produced by ___
photosynthetic plants
Herbivores
Eat plants. Specialized digestive system
Coevolution
Tit-for-tat evolution of prey and the species that eat them
Predators
Hunt, kill, consume prey. Often population is limited by the availability of prey
Filter-feeding predators
use webs or netlike structures to capture their prey (whales, spiders)
Parasites
Depend on living host for nourishment
Vectors
organisms that carry the parasite but are unaffected by it
Spread of parasitic disease is governed by _____
Abundance of hosts / accessibility of hosts / transmission rate of parasites / length of life of an infected host
Abundance of hosts
as the number of individual hosts increases, the likelihood that a parasite will be transmitted also increases
Accessibility of hosts
the ability of parasites to locate and infect hosts is influenced by the diversity of the ecological community they live in
Length of life of an infected host
the longer an individual host lives with a parasite, the longer it can transmit it
Symbioses
intimate relationship between 2 species
Mutualism
symbiotic relationship where both species benefit (figs and wasps)
Commensalism
associations that only benefit one species, leaving the other species unaffected
Energy flow
transfer and transformation of high-energy organic molecules
Organisms are classified by their____-
Tropic level (feeding level)
Primary Producers
lowest in the food web, transform energy from sunlight into carbohydrates
Decomposers
below primary producers. feed on nonliving matter. Much of the energy is consumed here
Primary consumers
second trophic level, herbivores that feed on primary producers
Secondary Consumers
third trophic level
Territory consumers
4th trophic level
Biomass energy
food that can be consumed by higher trophic level
only ____ % of energy available to next trophic level
> 10%
Keystone species
important to the stability of many food webs. Many plants, some predators
Trophic cascade
Loss of carnivores results in explosion of herbivores that destroy primary producers
Gross primary production
total CO2 converted each year
Net primary production
organic carbon available to consumers
Net ecosystem production
net flu of carbon into an ecosystem
most carbon is stored in ______
biomass terrestrial (soil)
Aquatic and marine carbon
CO2 dissolves in oceans, lakes and rivers
Humans harvest ____ % of total NPP
32-40%
Ecological disturbances
loss of many or all species in community (Fires, hurricanes, volcanoes)
Ecological legacies
resources remaining after disturbance
Succession
pattern of change after disturbance
Primary Succession
when a disturbance has virtually removed all resources. Process can take millennia
Pattern of primary succession
pioneer species / facilitation / climax
Pioneer species
the earliest colonists after disturbance (lichen, mosses)
Facilitation
as plant species grow they may alter the environment around them to make it more habitat for other species
Climax
generation has become established
Secondary Secession
follows disturbances that peace significant legacy. Process 70-100 years
Cyclic Succession
succession may increase chances of disturbances
