Unit 3 Study Guide
Species Interactions and Community Ecology
1: What makes the Zebra Mussel an invasive species?
- Population grew exponentially
- Invaded all 5 Great Lakes
- Property Damage
2: Define the following species interactions:
* Competition: Both species are 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 excludes another species from using the resource.
5: What must happen for species to co-exist?
Neither species should fully exclude the other form resources, so that they both are in peace.
6: What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche? Explain why a species
wouldn’t fulfill its fundamental niche?
The fundamental niche is when all the resources are used by an organism and realized niche is when a portion of the resources is used by an organism.
A species might not fulfill its fundamental niche because of competition or other species interactions.
7: Give an example of resource partitioning:
One species is active at night, another in the daytime.
8: How does character displacement help with competition?
Species adapt certain traits that are based on the climate, environment, and other species in the area.
9: Explain how predator and prey populations depend on each other:
They depend are each other because if one does not exist, then either the predator or prey populations will overpopulate, cause starvation, and/or decrease food amounts.
10: How does Natural Selection strengthen population “fitness”?
Predators will adapt to the populations of prey and they will learn better reproduction.
11: Define the following:
* Cryptic Coloration:
* Warning Coloration:
* Mimicry:
12: Define Parasitism:
13: What is the idea of “coevolution”?
14: What are some plant adaptations that help to protect plants against herbivory?
15: Explain how pollination is a form of mutualism:
16: Define the following:
* Allelopathy:
* Commensalism:
* Facilitation:
17: What is a community of organisms?
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?
20: Explain why this statement is true: “ A human vegetarian’s ecological footprint is smaller
than a meat-eater’s footprint.”
21: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
22: What is a keystone species and what happens to an ecosystem when it gets removed?
23: What is a trophic cascade? Why is it important?
24: Communities of organisms respond to disturbances differently. Explain resistance and
resilience.
25: What is an invasive species? How do we control a species that has become invasive? (Name
several ways)
26: What is happening with ecological restoration in the Florida Everglades?
27: Biomes: Name the type of SOILS in the following:
* Temperate deciduous forests:
* Temperate rainforests:
* Tropical rainforests:
* Tropical dry forest:
* Desert:
* Tundra:
* Boreal forest (Taiga):
28: How do biomes change with altitude? Explain.
1: What makes the Zebra Mussel an invasive species?
- Population grew exponentially
- Invaded all 5 Great Lakes
- Property Damage
2: Define the following species interactions:
* Competition: Both species are 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 excludes another species from using the resource.
5: What must happen for species to co-exist?
Neither species should fully exclude the other form resources, so that they both are in peace.
6: What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche? Explain why a species
wouldn’t fulfill its fundamental niche?
The fundamental niche is when all the resources are used by an organism and realized niche is when a portion of the resources is used by an organism.
A species might not fulfill its fundamental niche because of competition or other species interactions.
7: Give an example of resource partitioning:
One species is active at night, another in the daytime.
8: How does character displacement help with competition?
Species adapt certain traits that are based on the climate, environment, and other species in the area.
9: Explain how predator and prey populations depend on each other:
They depend are each other because if one does not exist, then either the predator or prey populations will overpopulate, cause starvation, and/or decrease food amounts.
10: How does Natural Selection strengthen population “fitness”?
Predators will adapt to the populations of prey and they will learn better reproduction.
11: Define the following:
* Cryptic Coloration:
* Warning Coloration:
* Mimicry:
12: Define Parasitism:
13: What is the idea of “coevolution”?
14: What are some plant adaptations that help to protect plants against herbivory?
15: Explain how pollination is a form of mutualism:
16: Define the following:
* Allelopathy:
* Commensalism:
* Facilitation:
17: What is a community of organisms?
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?
20: Explain why this statement is true: “ A human vegetarian’s ecological footprint is smaller
than a meat-eater’s footprint.”
21: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
22: What is a keystone species and what happens to an ecosystem when it gets removed?
23: What is a trophic cascade? Why is it important?
24: Communities of organisms respond to disturbances differently. Explain resistance and
resilience.
25: What is an invasive species? How do we control a species that has become invasive? (Name
several ways)
26: What is happening with ecological restoration in the Florida Everglades?
27: Biomes: Name the type of SOILS in the following:
* Temperate deciduous forests:
* Temperate rainforests:
* Tropical rainforests:
* Tropical dry forest:
* Desert:
* Tundra:
* Boreal forest (Taiga):
28: How do biomes change with altitude? Explain.