Ecology and Evolution Quiz

Ecological Niches

• Definition: An ecological niche is the unique set of environmental conditions and resources that a species requires to survive and reproduce.
• Components of an ecological niche:
  • Physical environment (e.g. temperature, light, water)
  • Resources (e.g. food, nutrients, shelter)
  • Biological interactions (e.g. competition, predation, symbiosis)
• Types of ecological niches:
  • Fundamental niche: The full range of conditions and resources a species can tolerate.
  • Realized niche: The actual range of conditions and resources a species occupies due to interactions with other species.

Natural Selection

• Definition: The process by which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to their offspring.
• Key components of natural selection:
  • Variation: Genetic differences among individuals in a population.
  • Heritability: The ability of traits to be passed from parents to offspring.
  • Differential reproduction: The difference in reproductive success between individuals with different traits.
• Types of natural selection:
  • Directional selection: Favoring individuals with extreme traits.
  • Stabilizing selection: Favoring individuals with average traits.
  • Disruptive selection: Favoring individuals with extreme traits in different environments.

Species Interactions

• Definition: The interactions between different species in a biological community.
• Types of species interactions:
  • Predation: One species captures and consumes another.
  • Competition: Species compete for shared resources.
  • Symbiosis: Long-term, close relationships between species.
  • Mutualism: Both species benefit from the interaction.
  • Commensalism: One species benefits, the other is not affected.
  • Parasitism: One species benefits, the other is harmed.
• Examples of species interactions:
  • Predator-prey relationships (e.g. lion-zebra)
  • Competition for resources (e.g. plants competing for light)
  • Symbiotic relationships (e.g. clownfish-sea anemone)