Ecology and Species Interactions Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is a community in ecology?

A group of different species living close enough for potential interaction.

What is species richness?

The number of different species within a community.

What is relative abundance?

The proportion of each species within a community.

What is an ecological niche?

<p>An organism's use of biotic and abiotic resources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the main characteristics of specialists?

<p>They have narrow niches and specific needs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which category describes organisms that have broad niches and can utilize a wide range of resources?

<p>Generalists</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche?

<p>A fundamental niche is the potential range of resources an organism can use, while a realized niche is the actual range of resources it uses in the presence of competition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two main types of competition?

<p>Interference and exploitation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of competition involves direct physical interactions between organisms?

<p>Interference competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of competition involves organisms indirectly competing for resources through consumption?

<p>Exploitation competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is competitive exclusion?

<p>The outcome of competition where one species eliminates another from a habitat.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is character displacement?

<p>Evolutionary changes in the morphology or resource use of species as a result of competition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does predation refer to?

<p>An interaction where one species, the predator, kills and eats the other, the prey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the predator and the prey in terms of trophic levels?

<p>The predator is at a higher trophic level than the prey</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are some common feeding adaptations of predators?

<p>Claws, teeth, fangs, stingers and poison.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following are examples of behavioral defenses used by prey?

<p>Hiding</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are two examples of morphological or physiological defense adaptations used by prey?

<p>Camouflage and warning coloration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of mimicry occurs when a harmless species mimics a harmful one?

<p>Batesian mimicry</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of mimicry occurs when two unpalatable species mimic each other?

<p>Müllerian mimicry</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does herbivory refer to?

<p>An interaction where an herbivore consumes parts of a plant or alga.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is symbiosis?

<p>A relationship where two or more species live in direct and intimate contact.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of symbiosis involves both species benefiting from the interaction?

<p>Mutualism</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of symbiosis involves one species benefiting while the other is neither harmed nor helped?

<p>Commensalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of symbiosis involves one organism benefiting while the other is harmed?

<p>Parasitism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is facilitation?

<p>An interaction where one species positively affects another species without direct contact.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two fundamental features of community structure?

<p>Species diversity and feeding relationships (trophic levels).</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two components of species diversity?

<p>Species richness and relative abundance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does greater biodiversity lead to?

<p>More stable ecosystems</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a keystone species?

<p>A species that exerts a disproportionately large impact on its community compared to its abundance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why are keystone species important?

<p>They have a large impact on species richness when removed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a niche?

<p>An organism's use of biotic and abiotic resources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT included in an organism's niche?

<p>Physical Appearance</p> Signup and view all the answers

A species' fundamental niche is the niche it actually occupies.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of competition occurs when species compete for the same resources, but don't physically interact?

<p>Exploitation Competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of interaction benefits one species and harms another?

<p>Predation</p> Signup and view all the answers

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic interaction where both species benefit.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a component of community structure?

<p>Population size</p> Signup and view all the answers

Species diversity is higher in a community with more species.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Keystone species are always the most abundant species in a community.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is biodiversity?

<p>The variety of life on earth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a way to measure biodiversity?

<p>Species dominance</p> Signup and view all the answers

Species evenness refers to the number of different species in a community.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a trophic level?

<p>A feeding level in a food chain or food web.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Community Interactions

  • A community is a group of different species living close enough together for potential interactions.
  • Communities vary in species richness (the number of species) and relative abundance (the proportion of each species).

Ecological Niches

  • A niche describes an organism's use of biotic and abiotic resources.
  • It includes habitat, food selection, role in energy and nutrient flow, and interactions with other individuals.
  • A species' ecological niche is its position in the ecosystem.
  • Specialists have narrow niches and specific needs while generalists have broad niches and use many resources.

Resource Partitioning

  • Ecologically similar species can coexist if they have significant differences in their niches.
  • Resource partitioning is a way species divide resources to reduce competition.
  • Example given: different species of Anolis lizards occupying different parts of the same trees, avoiding direct competition.
  • A species' fundamental niche is its potential niche, while its realized niche is the actual niche it occupies. Competition can cause differences between the fundamental and realized niches.

Species Interactions

  • Interspecies interactions occur between species within a community.
  • These interactions can affect the survival and reproduction of each species.
  • Interaction types and effects:
    • Competition (-/-): detrimental to both species.
    • Predation (+/-): one species benefits (predator) and the other is harmed (prey).
    • Herbivory (+/-): a herbivore benefits and the plant is harmed.
    • Parasitism (+/-): one species benefits and the other is harmed.
    • Disease (+/-): one species benefits and the other is harmed.
    • Mutualism (+/+): both species benefit.
    • Facilitation (+/+ or +/0): one species positively affects another species without direct contact.
    • Commensalism (+/0): one species benefits, and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Competition

  • Intraspecific competition occurs between individuals of the same species.
  • Interspecific competition occurs between individuals of different species.
  • Two types of competition:
    • Interference competition: individuals directly interact to prevent others from accessing resources.
    • Exploitation competition: individuals indirectly compete for a resource by using it up.
  • Competition can lead to the exclusion of one species (competitive exclusion).
  • Competition can also drive the evolution of resource partitioning, where species develop differences in their resource use.
  • Competition causes realized niches and results in character displacement.

Predation

  • Predation is a +/- interaction where a predator kills and eats its prey.
  • Predators have adaptations like claws, teeth, fangs, stingers, and poison.
  • Prey have defensive adaptations like hiding, fleeing, forming herds/schools, self-defense behaviors, and alarm calls.
  • Prey also exhibit mechanical, chemical, cryptic (camouflage), and aposematic (warning coloration) defenses.
  • Mimicry (Batesian and Müllerian) is another defense mechanism. Batesian mimicry is when a harmless species mimics a harmful one, and Müllerian mimicry is when two unpalatable species mimic each other.

Herbivory

  • Herbivory is an interaction where an herbivore eats parts of a plant or alga.
  • It has led to the evolution of plant mechanical and chemical defenses.

Symbiosis

  • Symbiosis refers to relationships where two or more species live in intimate contact.
  • Types of symbiosis:
    • Mutualism (+/+): both species benefit.
    • Commensalism (+/0): one species benefits, and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
    • Parasitism (+/-): one species benefits, and the other is harmed.

Facilitation

  • Interspecific facilitation is a type of interaction where one species positively affects another species without direct contact. For example, the black rush can make soil more hospitable for other plant species.

Community Structure

  • Community structure relates to the variety of species forming a community, their abundance, and organization.
  • Two fundamental features of community structure are species diversity and feeding relationships (trophic levels).

Species Diversity

  • Species diversity refers to the variety of organisms in a community and its two components:
    • Species richness: number of species present.
    • Relative abundance: proportion each species represents within the community.
    • Greater species diversity leads to higher stability and better ability to handle environmental stressors or invasive species. High species diversity makes a community more resilient and productive, able to withstand and recover from environmental stresses, and more resistant to invasive species.

Biodiversity

  • Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth.
  • It includes the variety of species, genes, and ecosystems. Biodiversity is often associated with greater ecosystem resilience and productivity.

Keystone Species

  • Keystone species exert strong control on community structure despite low abundance.
  • Removal of a keystone species can cause major changes to the community, as illustrated by the sea otter, which controls the sea urchin population, and thus maintaining kelp forests.

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Test your knowledge on community interactions, ecological niches, and resource partitioning. This quiz covers the concepts of species richness, abundance, and the ways species coexist through niche differentiation. Understand how these factors influence ecosystems.

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