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SLE103 Ecology And The Environment > Topic 8: Community Ecology > Flashcards

Topic 8: Community Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is predation?

A

An interaction where one species (predator) feeds upon another (prey).

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2
Q

What are 3 main types of predators?

A
  1. Herbivores.
  2. Carnivores.
  3. Cannibals.
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3
Q

What are mobile animal grazers?

A

Mobile animals that feed on stationary animals.

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4
Q

What are monophagous predators?

A

Predators that only feed on one type of prey.

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5
Q

What type of predator feeds on plants or parts of plants?

A

Herbivores.

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6
Q

What type of predator feeds on animals?

A

Carnivores.

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7
Q

What type of predator feeds on its own species?

A

Cannibals.

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8
Q

What direction is the interaction between prey and predator?

A

Two-way interaction.
Prey population size may control predators, and predator population size may control prey.

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9
Q

What are 2 successful examples of biological predation controls?

A

Cactoblastis moth controlling Prickly Pear in QLD.
South American Weevil controlling water hyacinth.

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10
Q

What are two unsuccessful examples of biological predation controls?

A

Cane toads to control sugar cane beetles in QLD.
Stoats and weasels to control rabbits in NZ.

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11
Q

Why aren’t 2 species predator-prey cycles common?

A
  1. Most systems contain >2 species.
  2. Environmental conditions are not constant (e.g. boom-and-bust cycles).
  3. Other factors influence population size.
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12
Q

The level of predation related to the availability of prey is what type of regulation?

A

Density-dependent regulation.

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13
Q

What predators are best for biological control?

A
  1. Specialised monophagous predators.
  2. Predators that virtually eliminated prey, then become scarce but not extinct.
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14
Q

When does predation control fail?

A

When the predators have a broad dietary range.

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15
Q

What are 6 types of herbivores?

A
  1. Frugivores.
  2. Granivores.
  3. Folivores.
  4. Grazers and browsers.
  5. Nectarivores.
  6. Fungivores (mycophagy).
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16
Q

What are the 2 categories of herbivore-plant systems.

A
  1. Interactive herbivore systems.
  2. Non-interactive herbivore systems.
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17
Q

What is an interactive herbivore system?

A

A system where herbivores influence biomass growth rate and subsequent vegetative life.
e.g. grazer eats the plant right down or rips the plant out

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18
Q

What is a non-interactive herbivore system?

A

A system where there is no relationship between herbivore population density and subsequent condition of vegetation.
e.g. birds eat the seeds or nectar of a plant

19
Q

What are ungulates?

A

Hoofed mammals, especially herbivores.

20
Q

How can herbivores change the condition of vegetation in an interactive system?

A
  1. Reducing total plant biomass.
  2. Changing vegetation structure.
  3. Changing vegetation composition through selective grazing.
21
Q

What is batesian mimicry?

A

When a palatable or harmless species mimics an unpalatable or harmful species.

22
Q

What is mullerian mimicry?

A

When two or more unpalatable species represent each other.

23
Q

What 2 types of defences do plants have?

A
  1. Physical defences. Including tough leaves, waxy cuticles, spines, and hairs.
  2. Chemical defences. Including toxic compounds (tannins, alkaloids) and unpalatable compounds.
24
Q

How do herbivores overcome plant defences?

A
  1. By being a generalist feeder and eating a variety of plants.
  2. By being a specialist feeder with mechanisms for avoiding the plant’s defences.
25
Q

What is the consequence of strong selection pressure for both predator and prey to become more efficient at survival?

A

The predator-prey arms race.

26
Q

What are predators that influence the overall structure of their community?

A

Keystone predators.

27
Q

How do keystone predators perform their ecological role?

A

Through controlling the abundance of dominant organisms that may otherwise outcompete other species, overgraze the community and prey heavily on lower trophic levels.

28
Q

What is a keystone species?

A

An organism that helps hold the community/ecosystem together.

29
Q

What type of competition occurs between members of the same species?

A

Intraspecific competition.

30
Q

What type of competition occurs between members of different species?

A

Interspecific competition.

31
Q

What can be caused by the exploitation or depletion of keystone predators?

A

A trophic cascade.

32
Q

What type of competition occurs when organisms use common resources that are in short supply?

A

Exploitative competition.

33
Q

What type of competition occurs when organisms seeking a resource prevent others from accessing it?

A

Interference competition.

34
Q

What is a niche?

A

All the environmental factors required for a species’ existence.

35
Q

What is the total range within which a species could potentially occur?

A

Its fundamental niche.

36
Q

What is the actual range within which a species occurs?

A

Its realised niche.

37
Q

What has the potential to occur in niche overlap?

A

Competition.

38
Q

What are the 3 outcomes of competition?

A
  1. Competitive exclusion.
  2. Resource partitioning.
  3. Character displacement.
39
Q

What is competitive exclusion?

A

One species outcompeting another and excluding the lesser competitor.

40
Q

What is resource partitioning?

A

Species partition a resource amongst the different species to reduce competition.

41
Q

What is character displacement?

A

Competition between species driving divergent evolution, causing morphological changes.

42
Q

What populations contain species that live apart?

A

Allopatric populations.

43
Q

What populations contain species that live together?

A

Sympatric populations.

44
Q

What are the 4 key properties of communities?

A
  1. Diversity.
  2. Prevalent form of vegetation.
  3. Stability.
  4. Trophic structure.

SLE103 Ecology And The Environment (11 decks)

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