W12 Ch.27 Definitions

Question 1

Community

Answer 1

A community refers to a group of interacting organisms of different species inhabiting a particular area or habitat

Question 2

Direct Interspecific Interactions

Answer 2

These are interactions that occur between individuals of different species and directly influence each other’s fitness or survive

Question 3

Indirect interspecific interactions

Answer 3

These are interactions between species that occur through a third-party species or environmental factor, influencing the relationship between the interacting species

Question 4

Intraspecific competition

Answer 4

Competition that occurs between individuals of the same species for limited resources such as food, space, or mates

Question 5

Interspecific competition

Answer 5

Competition between individuals of different species for shared resources

Question 6

Competitive exclusion

Answer 6

The principle stating that two species competing for the same limited resource cannot coexist indefinitely; one species will outcompete and displace the other

Question 7

Ecological niche

Answer 7

The role and position of a species within its environment, including its habitat requirements, resource use, and interactions with other species

Question 8

Fundamental niche

Answer 8

The theoretical niche of a species, representing the full range of environmental conditions and resources it could potentially occupy in the absence of competition

Question 9

Realized niche

Answer 9

The actual niche of a species, which may be restricted due to competition or other interactions with other species

Question 10

Habitat

Answer 10

The specific environment in which an organism lives, characterized by its physical and biological features

Question 11

Phylogenetic niche conservatism

Answer 11

The tendency of closely related species to retain similar ecological niches over evolutionary time

Question 12

Resource partitioning

Answer 12

The division of limited resources among species through differences in their ecological niches, reducing competition

Question 13

Predation

Answer 13

The consumption of one organism (the prey) by another organism (the predator) for food

Question 14

Parasitism

Answer 14

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of another organism (the host), usually by living in or on the host organism

Question 15

Herbivory

Answer 15

Feeding on plant tissues by animals (herbivores) as a primary food source

Question 16

Facilitation

Answer 16

An ecological interaction where one species positively affects another species, often by modifying the environment or making

Question 17

Co-evolution

Answer 17

The reciprocal evolutionary change between two or more interacting species, driven by the selective pressures each exerts on the other

Question 18

Facultative mutualism

Answer 18

A mutualistic relationship where the interacting species can survive independently of each other but benefit from the association.

Question 19

Obligate mutualism

Answer 19

A mutualistic relationship where the interacting species depend on each other for survival

Question 20

Commensalism

Answer 20

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed

Question 21

Symbiosis

Answer 21

A close and long-term interaction between two or more different biological species.

Question 22

Keystone species

Answer 22

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, playing a critical role in maintaining the structure and functioning of an ecosystem.

Question 23

Trophic level

Answer 23

The position of an organism in a food chain or food web, determined by its source of energy and nutrients.

Question 24

Succession (primary & secondary)

Answer 24

The process of gradual change in the species composition of a community over time. Primary succession occurs in an area devoid of life, while secondary succession occurs after a disturbance that disrupts an existing community.

Question 25

Climax community

Answer 25

The stable, mature community that eventually develops after the process of succession has occurred and species composition stabilizes.

Question 26

Biogeography

Answer 26

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time

Question 27

Meta-population

Answer 27

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species that interact at some level

Question 28

Disturbance

Answer 28

A discrete event that disrupts the structure and function of an ecosystem, often leading to changes in species composition and ecological processes.