Module 55 - Community Ecology

Question 1

Simpson’s diversity index

Answer 1

A way to quantify a community’s diversity.
1 - Σ(n/N)^2
n = the total number of organisms of a particular species
N = the total number of organisms of all species

Question 2

Predation

Answer 2

An interaction that involves one species killing another and consuming it

Question 3

Parasitism

Answer 3

An interaction in which one species lives in or on another organism, which we call the host (ones that cause diseases are called pathogens)

Question 4

Competition

Answer 4

An interaction between species that require the same limited resource

Question 5

Niche partitioning

Answer 5

When two species compete over long periods of time, evolution favors individuals with phenotypes that reduce the amount of competition for the limited resource

Question 6

Mutualism

Answer 6

A special type of symbiosis in which both species benefit in regard to their growth or reproduction

Question 7

Commensalism

Answer 7

An interaction in which one species receives a benefit while the other species is neither harmed nor helped

Question 8

Keystone species

Answer 8

A species that has a disproportionate impact on other species even though it may not be very abundant.

An example of a keystone species is a beaver