Week 10: Communities and Ecosystems

These flashcards cover key concepts related to communities and ecosystems, including species interactions, food chains and webs, symbiotic relationships, and human impacts on ecosystems.

How does the Kirtland's warbler illustrate the importance of organism-environment interactions for species preservation?

It shows that understanding both biotic and abiotic factors is crucial for conserving species.

Why are honey bees critical for commercial agriculture?

Honey bees are essential for pollinating many crops, which increases agricultural yield.

What characterizes the relationship between pollinators and flowers, and how significant are animal pollinators for flowering plants?

Pollinators and flowers form a community through mutual interactions; animal pollinators are vital as they enhance reproduction for flowering plants.

Are animal pollinators important for wind-pollinated plants?

No, they are not crucial as wind-pollinated plants do not rely on animals for pollination.

What is a food chain?

A food chain is a linear sequence showing how energy is transferred from producers to consumers. Key terms include: producer (makes food), consumer (eats producers), heterotroph (cannot produce own food), autotroph (creates own food), predator (hunts others), carnivore (eats meat), herbivore (eats plants).

Which organisms have access to the most energy, those near the top or bottom of the food chain? Why?

Organisms near the bottom have more access to energy because energy decreases as it moves up the food chain due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

Why is a food web a more accurate depiction of a community than a food chain?

A food web represents all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem, demonstrating the complexity and interdependence of species.

What is meant by a symbiotic relationship, and are they always positive for the organisms involved?

Symbiotic relationships involve close interactions between species, and they are not always positive; they can be neutral or harmful depending on the type.

Distinguish between parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Provide an example for each.

Parasitism: one benefits at the expense of the other (e.g., ticks on mammals). Mutualism: both benefit (e.g., bees and flowers). Commensalism: one benefits, the other is unaffected (e.g., barnacles on whales).

What is a niche, and what can happen if two species compete for the same resources?

A niche is the role or function of an organism within its ecosystem; if two species compete for the same limited resources, one may outcompete the other, leading to exclusion.

How does human development with low species diversity impact competition between pollinators?

Landscaping and agricultural monocropping reduce habitat diversity, leading to intensified competition among pollinators and potentially decreasing their populations.