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Ecological Communities and Energy Flow in General Biology

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Termini in questo insieme (29)

  • What is a biological community?
    An assemblage of populations of different species living close enough to interact.
  • Define interspecific interactions.
    Interactions between species that can be positive (+), negative (−), or neutral (0) affecting survival and reproduction.
  • What is competition in ecology?
    When individuals of different species compete for a limited resource that affects their survival and reproduction.
  • Explain the principle of competitive exclusion.
    Two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist permanently in the same place.
  • What is an ecological niche?
    The specific set of biotic and abiotic resources an organism uses in its environment.
  • Differentiate between fundamental and realized niche.
    Fundamental niche is the potential niche a species can occupy; realized niche is the actual niche occupied when competitors are present.
  • What is character displacement?
    Greater differences in traits between sympatric species than allopatric species, indicating past competition.
  • Define exploitation in species interactions.
    An interaction where one species benefits by feeding on another, which is harmed (includes predation, herbivory, parasitism).
  • What adaptations do predators have for capturing prey?
    Acute senses, claws, fangs, and poison.
  • List some prey defensive adaptations.
    Behavioral (hiding, fleeing), morphological (spines), physiological (toxins), cryptic coloration, and aposematic coloration.
  • What is aposematic coloration?
    Bright warning colors in animals with chemical defenses to deter predators.
  • Explain Batesian mimicry.
    A harmless species mimics a harmful or unpalatable species to avoid predation.
  • What is herbivory?
    An interaction where an herbivore eats parts of a plant or alga, harming but usually not killing it.
  • Describe parasitism.
    One organism (parasite) derives nourishment from another (host), harming the host.
  • What are mutualism and commensalism?
    Mutualism benefits both species; commensalism benefits one species without affecting the other.
  • What are the two components of species diversity?
    Species richness (number of species) and relative abundance (proportion of each species).
  • Define trophic structure.
    The feeding relationships between organisms in a community, organized by trophic levels.
  • What is a food web?
    A group of interconnected food chains showing complex trophic interactions.
  • What is a keystone species?
    A species that exerts strong control on community structure through its ecological role, not abundance.
  • What is ecological disturbance?
    An event that changes a community by removing organisms or altering resource availability.
  • Explain the intermediate disturbance hypothesis.
    Moderate disturbance levels promote greater species diversity than high or low disturbance.
  • What is ecological succession?
    The sequential change in community composition following a major disturbance.
  • Differentiate primary and secondary succession.
    Primary succession occurs in lifeless areas; secondary succession occurs where disturbance removed most organisms but soil remains.
  • How do human activities affect ecosystems?
    They cause strong disturbances that often reduce species diversity and alter community structure.
  • What role do pathogens play in community ecology?
    Pathogens can dramatically affect community structure locally and globally by causing diseases.
  • What is energy flow in ecosystems governed by?
    The first and second laws of thermodynamics: energy is conserved but conversions increase entropy and lose heat.
  • What is the law of conservation of mass in ecosystems?
    Matter cannot be created or destroyed; chemical elements are recycled within ecosystems.
  • What are biogeochemical cycles?
    Nutrient cycles involving both biotic and abiotic components, such as water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.
  • Why are decomposers important in ecosystems?
    They break down organic matter, releasing nutrients back into the environment for recycling.