L29 Interactions between Organisms - Mutualisms

Question 1

what are INTRA specific interactions?

Answer 1

happen within species - group living, competition, reproduction, sexual conflict

Question 2

what are INTER specific interactions?

Answer 2

happen among species - predation, herbivory, competition (food and space), mutualism, commensalism, amensalism, parasitism

Question 3

what happens if a seedling was to develop between 2 plants?

Answer 3

insufficient moisture available for establishment - outcompeted

Question 4

what happens when precipitation levels change in relation to plants?

Answer 4

plant density will change - they are interrelated

Question 5

what tree will win the competition for space?

Answer 5

the tallest one - it will shade out the others

Question 6

what is commensalism?

Answer 6

an ecological relationship in which one benefits and the other is not harmed or helped in any significant way

Question 7

what is amensalism?

Answer 7

competition with no effect on winning competitor and loser suffers

Question 8

give an example of commensalism

Answer 8

examples Barnacles growing on whale

and spider web inbetween deer antlers

Question 9

give an example of amensalism

Answer 9

trees competing for space

mature tree drops a seed and doesn’t suffer or benefit from it growing

Question 10

what is parasitism?

Answer 10

organism lives on prey and eats cell contents tissues or bodily fluid, they harm but do not kill

Question 11

what is symbiosis?

Answer 11

2 organisms in close association with one another which are benefiting from one another

Question 12

give an example of mutualistic symbiosis?

Answer 12

lichen

fungi produces habitat for algae, algae photosynthesises and produces nutrients for fungi

Question 13

give an example of a parasitic symbiosis

Answer 13

caterpillar parasites - 2 organisms living together, one benefits and one suffers up until host is killed

Question 14

what is pollination?

Answer 14

a mutualistic/commensalism interaction between species

Question 15

give an example of pollination mutualism

Answer 15

bee gets nectar food from flower and transports pollen

Question 16

why can pollination be an example of commensalism?

Answer 16

neutral benefit for the flower because it can benefit from wind pollination

Question 17

give an example of pollination commensalism

Answer 17

orchids produce chemical bee pheromones causing them to pick up pollen (bee doesn’t suffer, plant benefits)

Question 18

when does fungal mycelium form?

Answer 18

in the presence of plant roots

Question 19

what type of relationship does mycellium and plants have?

Answer 19

mycorrhiza mutualism

-mycorrhiza enhances competitive ability

Question 20

what is a type of plant parasitism?

Answer 20

grazing - plant loses photosynthetic material while deer is getting nutrition

Question 21

what is a niche?

Answer 21

specific set of biotic and abiotic resources in an environment that an organism uses to thrive

Question 22

what influences where an organism lives?

Answer 22

optimal conditions will determine where an organism situates itself to best meet its required niche

Question 23

what is a fundamental niche?

Answer 23

the basics needed for an organism to survive

Question 24

what happens when individual specie’s niches overlap?

Answer 24

this overlapping leads to interactions

Question 25

what is a realised niche?

Answer 25

a more specified niche inside of a fundamental niche of another organism

Question 26

what is an example of fundamental and realised niche?

Answer 26

Barnacle growth on tidal zone

Question 27

what did Connell 1961 realised niche experiments find out?

Answer 27

upper part of tidal zone - chthamalus
lower part - balanus
1) the realised niche of balanus is within chthamalus fundamental niche
2) when both are present they have two separate realised niche

Question 28

what happens when other species get involved in a species fundamental niche?

Answer 28

the fundamental niche contracts into realised niche

Question 29

what is resource partitioning?

Answer 29

niche differentiation - a process of natural selection that will force competitors to use resources differently

Question 30

what are the two types of mutualism?

Answer 30

obligate and facultative

Question 31

what is obligate mutualism?

Answer 31

one species cannot survive without the other

Question 32

what is an example of an obligate mutualism?

Answer 32

• coral has pulp algae inside, they cannot exist independently
• lichen fungi and algae can exist independently

Question 33

what is a facultative mutualism?

Answer 33

both species exist independently

Question 34

what is an example of facultative mutualism?

Answer 34

ants living on acacias

Question 35

what are acacias?

Answer 35

trees in the savanna that elephants rely on fot nutrients

Question 36

what are the two acacia species?

Answer 36

acacia drepanolobium and acacia millifera

Question 37

what did experiments on acacia, ants and elephants reveal?

Answer 37

in the absence of ants, elephant population increased and acacia tree population decreased

Question 38

conclusion from experiment: ‘Do ants protect acacia drepanolobium from elephants?’

Answer 38

• Yes, elephants avoid acaia drep in ants presence
• they avoid because of ants not because of bad taste
• Yes, having ants saves acacia drep from elephant damage