Introduction to Community Ecology exam Flashcards
Introduction to Community Ecology exam
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Community Ecology The study of interactions among various species within a community, focusing on structure, diversity, and abundance. Community Multiple populations of different species living and interacting in the same area. Community Structure Refers to the diversity, abundance, and overall organization of different species in a community. What are the four main types of community interactions? Competition, exploitation, mutualism, and commensalism. Competition An interaction where species vie for the same resources in an ecosystem. Exploitation An interaction where one species benefits at the expense of another, including predation, herbivory, and parasitism. Mutualism An interaction where both species benefit from the relationship. Commensalism An interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. What is competitive exclusion? The principle that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist if other ecological factors are constant. Resource Partitioning The division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in an ecological niche. Character Displacement The phenomenon where differences among similar species are accentuated in regions where the species co-occur. Predation An interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, the prey. Herbivory An interaction where an organism eats parts of a plant or alga. Parasitism An interaction where one organism, the parasite, lives on or in another organism, the host, causing it harm. Trophic Structure The feeding relationships between organisms in a community. What are bottom-up and top-down effects? Bottom-up effects are driven by the presence or absence of producers, while top-down effects are driven by the presence or absence of top predators. Ecological Succession The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. Primary Succession Succession that occurs in an area where no previous community existed. Secondary Succession Succession that occurs in areas where a community previously existed but was disturbed. Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis The concept that moderate levels of disturbance can foster greater species diversity than low or high levels of disturbance. Geographic Impact The influence of geographic factors like latitude and area on community composition. Latitude Effect The observation that species diversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower towards the poles. Area Effect The principle that larger areas tend to have more species than smaller areas. Island Equilibrium Model A model that describes the balance between immigration and extinction rates on islands. What is the significance of biodiversity in ecosystem stability? Biodiversity enhances ecosystem stability by providing a variety of species that can adapt to changes and disturbances. Species Interactions The various ways in which species interact within a community, including competition, exploitation, mutualism, and commensalism. What does community ecology focus on? It focuses on the interactions among species, community structure, diversity, abundance, and the effects of geographic factors. Species Impact The influence that a species has on the structure and function of a community.
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