biotic interactions Flashcards
what is an ecological niche?
the function of a species in an ecosystem
what 3 things does an ecological niche include?
- where it lives
- what it eats
- what eats them
when does predation occur?
when one organism eats another organism to obtain food
which two populations does predation affect?
- predator population
- prey population
what is bottom-up population regulation?
the number of organisms in lower trophic level affects the number of organisms in higher trophic levels
what is top-down population regulation?
the number of organisms in higher trophic level affects the number of organisms in lower trophic levels
what is competition?
the interaction between two or more organisms competing for the same resources in a given habitat
what is intraspecific competition?
competition between the same species
what 5 things are involved in an intraspecific competition?
- mates
- food
- light
- water
- space
what is interspecific competition?
competition between different species
what 3 things are involved in an interspecific competition?
- food
- light
- space
in symbiosis, what is mutualism?
both species benefit
in symbiosis, what is commensalism?
one species benefits and no effect on the other
in symbiosis, what is parasitism?
one species benefits at the expense of another
