UNIT 7 ck12’s 6.13-6.14 Flashcards
(45 cards)
What is predation?
A relationship in which members of one species (the predator) consume members of another species (the prey)
Examples include lions consuming zebras and zebras consuming grass.
Who are classic examples of predators and prey?
Lion and zebra
In this context, the lion is a predator, while the zebra is a prey species.
What unique role does the zebra play in the context of predation?
The zebra is also a predator as it consumes species of grass
Unlike lionesses, zebras do not kill their prey.
What do predator-prey relationships account for in ecosystems?
Most energy transfers in food chains and food webs
These relationships illustrate the flow of energy through different levels of the ecosystem.
Fill in the blank: Predation involves a relationship between a _______ and a prey.
[predator]
The predator is the species that consumes the prey.
What is the effect of a predator-prey relationship on species populations?
It tends to keep the populations of both species in balance.
What happens to the predator population when the prey population increases?
The predator population increases after a slight lag.
What occurs to the prey population as the predator population increases?
The prey population starts to decrease.
True or False: An increase in prey leads to a decrease in predator population.
False
Fill in the blank: As the prey population increases, there is more _______ for predators.
food
What happens to the predator population after the prey population decreases?
The predator population will decrease as well.
What is a limiting factor in the context of predator-prey relationships?
A limiting factor limits the growth or development of an organism, population, or process.
How does the prey population affect the predator population?
As the prey population decreases, the predator population begins to decrease as well.
What is a keystone species?
A keystone species is one that plays an especially important role in its community.
What happens to other species if a keystone species is removed from its community?
Major changes in the numbers of a keystone species affect the populations of many other species in the community.
Provide an example of a keystone species in coral reef communities.
Some sea star species are keystone species in coral reef communities.
What is the impact of removing sea stars from a coral reef community?
Mussel and sea urchin populations would have explosive growth, driving out most other species and potentially destroying the coral reef community.
What are adaptations to predation?
Both predators and prey have adaptations to predation that evolve through natural selection.
What do predator adaptations help them do?
Predator adaptations help them capture prey.
What do prey adaptations help them do?
Prey adaptations help them avoid predators.
What is a common adaptation found in both predators and prey?
Camouflage.
Fill in the blank: Camouflage in prey helps them _______ from predators.
hide
Fill in the blank: Camouflage in predators helps them sneak up on _______.
prey
What is competition in ecological terms?
A relationship between organisms that strive for the same resources in the same place.
