APES- Unit #3 Study Guide
Species Interactions and Community Ecology
1: What makes the Zebra Mussel an invasive species?
Their population grows rapidly, and they have no natural predators, competition, or parasites.
2: Define the following species interactions:
* Competition: Both species get harmed
* Predation, Parasitism, and Herbivory: One species benefits and the other is harmed
* Mutualism: Both species benefit
3: What are some of the resources that species compete for in competition?
Food, space, mates, water, shelter, & sunlight
4: Define Competitive Exclusion:
One species completely blocks another species from using the resource
5: What must happen for species to co-exist?
Neither species fully excludes the other from using the resource, so both live side by side.
6: What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche? Explain why a species wouldn’t fulfill its fundamental niche?
Fundamental niche is an organism fulfills its role by using all the resources. A realized niche is the portion of fundamental niche that is filled. Species wouldn't fill the fundamental niche because of competition or other species interactions.
7: Give an example of resource partitioning:
One specie hunts in the morning while a nocturnal specie hunts at night
8: How does character displacement help with competition?
Competing species evolve their physical characteristics that reflect reliance on portion of resource they use.
9: Explain how predator and prey populations depend on each other:
Predator populations depend on prey populations because with the increase in prey, there's and increase in predators. Prey depends on predators, because when predators decrease, there is an increase of prey.
10: How does Natural Selection strengthen population “fitness”?
Predators will adapt better hunting traits so they can live a longer life
11: Define the following:
* Cryptic Coloration: Coloring that disguises an animal's shape or color
* Warning Coloration: Recognizable markings that serve to warn off potential predators.
* Mimicry: An animal mimicking another
12: Define Parasitism:
When one organism depends on another organism for nourishment or other benefits
13: What is the idea of “coevolution”?
Hosts and parasites are become stuck in a duel of adaptations
14: What are some plant adaptations that help to protect plants against herbivory?
Chemicals and physical adaption both help the plant defend against herbivores
15: Explain how pollination is a form of mutualism:
The animals that pollinate get their eggs fertilizes, while the plant gets pollen
16: Define the following:
* Allelopathy: Certain plants harmful chemicals
* Commensalism: Relationship in which one organism benefits while other remains unaffected
* Facilitation: Plants create shade and litter leaves allowing seedlings to grow
17: What is a community of organisms?
When all of the members interact with one another and live in the same place at the same time
18: Draw a trophic level pyramid with the following terms/definitions (examples) below:
Autotrophs
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumers
Omnivores
Detritivores
Decomposers
1: What makes the Zebra Mussel an invasive species?
Their population grows rapidly, and they have no natural predators, competition, or parasites.
2: Define the following species interactions:
* Competition: Both species get harmed
* Predation, Parasitism, and Herbivory: One species benefits and the other is harmed
* Mutualism: Both species benefit
3: What are some of the resources that species compete for in competition?
Food, space, mates, water, shelter, & sunlight
4: Define Competitive Exclusion:
One species completely blocks another species from using the resource
5: What must happen for species to co-exist?
Neither species fully excludes the other from using the resource, so both live side by side.
6: What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche? Explain why a species wouldn’t fulfill its fundamental niche?
Fundamental niche is an organism fulfills its role by using all the resources. A realized niche is the portion of fundamental niche that is filled. Species wouldn't fill the fundamental niche because of competition or other species interactions.
7: Give an example of resource partitioning:
One specie hunts in the morning while a nocturnal specie hunts at night
8: How does character displacement help with competition?
Competing species evolve their physical characteristics that reflect reliance on portion of resource they use.
9: Explain how predator and prey populations depend on each other:
Predator populations depend on prey populations because with the increase in prey, there's and increase in predators. Prey depends on predators, because when predators decrease, there is an increase of prey.
10: How does Natural Selection strengthen population “fitness”?
Predators will adapt better hunting traits so they can live a longer life
11: Define the following:
* Cryptic Coloration: Coloring that disguises an animal's shape or color
* Warning Coloration: Recognizable markings that serve to warn off potential predators.
* Mimicry: An animal mimicking another
12: Define Parasitism:
When one organism depends on another organism for nourishment or other benefits
13: What is the idea of “coevolution”?
Hosts and parasites are become stuck in a duel of adaptations
14: What are some plant adaptations that help to protect plants against herbivory?
Chemicals and physical adaption both help the plant defend against herbivores
15: Explain how pollination is a form of mutualism:
The animals that pollinate get their eggs fertilizes, while the plant gets pollen
16: Define the following:
* Allelopathy: Certain plants harmful chemicals
* Commensalism: Relationship in which one organism benefits while other remains unaffected
* Facilitation: Plants create shade and litter leaves allowing seedlings to grow
17: What is a community of organisms?
When all of the members interact with one another and live in the same place at the same time
18: Draw a trophic level pyramid with the following terms/definitions (examples) below:
Autotrophs
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumers
Omnivores
Detritivores
Decomposers
19: How is most energy lost in an ecosystem?
Most energy is lost through as waste heat through respiration
20: Explain why this statement is true: “ A human vegetarian’s ecological footprint is smaller
than a meat-eater’s footprint.”
Because meat-eaters get less energy due to 10% law and it goes through many processes in factories which pollutes the air, while plants require just harvesting.
21: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain is the relationship of how energy is transferred up the Trophic levels. A food web shows the feeding relationship and energy flow
22: What is a keystone species and what happens to an ecosystem when it gets removed?
A keystone specie is one that has an impact on its ecosystem. If it gets removed, then the food chain can get altered.
23: What is a trophic cascade? Why is it important?
A trophic cascade is when predators at high trophic levels can alter the population of low trophic species by keeping in check the species in the intermediate trophic level
24: Communities of organisms respond to disturbances differently. Explain resistance and resilience.
Resistance is when a community of organisms resist change and remains stable during the disturbance. Resilience is a community that changes in response to disturbance.
25: What is an invasive species? How do we control a species that has become invasive? (Name several ways)
non-native organism that spreads widely and becomes the dominant specie in the area. To control them we can remove them manually, use toxins, dry them out, or remove their oxygen
26: What is happening with ecological restoration in the Florida Everglades?
The population of wading birds dropped by 90%-95%. It will take 30 years and billions of dollars to restore the Everglades.
27: Biomes: Name the type of SOILS in the following:
* Temperate deciduous forests: Fertile
* Tropical rainforests: Fertile
* Tropical dry forest: Poor & acidic
* Desert: Saline
* Tundra: Permafrost
* Boreal forest (Taiga): Poor & acidic
28: How do biomes change with altitude? Explain.
Biomes change with altitude with the change of temperature, so the higher the altitude, the lower the temperatures which changes the type of biomes
Most energy is lost through as waste heat through respiration
20: Explain why this statement is true: “ A human vegetarian’s ecological footprint is smaller
than a meat-eater’s footprint.”
Because meat-eaters get less energy due to 10% law and it goes through many processes in factories which pollutes the air, while plants require just harvesting.
21: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain is the relationship of how energy is transferred up the Trophic levels. A food web shows the feeding relationship and energy flow
22: What is a keystone species and what happens to an ecosystem when it gets removed?
A keystone specie is one that has an impact on its ecosystem. If it gets removed, then the food chain can get altered.
23: What is a trophic cascade? Why is it important?
A trophic cascade is when predators at high trophic levels can alter the population of low trophic species by keeping in check the species in the intermediate trophic level
24: Communities of organisms respond to disturbances differently. Explain resistance and resilience.
Resistance is when a community of organisms resist change and remains stable during the disturbance. Resilience is a community that changes in response to disturbance.
25: What is an invasive species? How do we control a species that has become invasive? (Name several ways)
non-native organism that spreads widely and becomes the dominant specie in the area. To control them we can remove them manually, use toxins, dry them out, or remove their oxygen
26: What is happening with ecological restoration in the Florida Everglades?
The population of wading birds dropped by 90%-95%. It will take 30 years and billions of dollars to restore the Everglades.
27: Biomes: Name the type of SOILS in the following:
* Temperate deciduous forests: Fertile
* Tropical rainforests: Fertile
* Tropical dry forest: Poor & acidic
* Desert: Saline
* Tundra: Permafrost
* Boreal forest (Taiga): Poor & acidic
28: How do biomes change with altitude? Explain.
Biomes change with altitude with the change of temperature, so the higher the altitude, the lower the temperatures which changes the type of biomes