Ecological Niches and Adaptations

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to ecological niches, nutrition, and adaptations of organisms.

Ecological Niche

The role a species fulfills in an ecosystem, including biotic and abiotic interactions.

Obligate Anaerobes

Organisms that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.

Facultative Anaerobes

Organisms that can survive with or without oxygen.

Obligate Aerobes

Organisms that require oxygen to survive.

Photosynthesis

Mode of nutrition in plants, algae, and some prokaryotes using sunlight to synthesize organic compounds.

Holozoic Nutrition

Mode of nutrition in animals involving ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food.

Heterotroph

Organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming other organisms.

Autotroph

Organisms that synthesize organic compounds using energy from other sources.

Mixotrophic Nutrition

Nutrition involving both autotrophic and heterotrophic modes, seen in some protists like Euglena.

Saprotrophic Nutrition

Fungi and bacteria that obtain nutrients from dead and decaying organic matter; also known as decomposers.

Archaea

A domain of life known for diversity in nutrition including photosynthetic, chemosynthetic, and heterotrophic organisms.

Herbivore

Animals whose diet consists primarily of plants.

Carnivore

Animals whose diet consists primarily of meat.

Omnivore

Animals whose diet consists of both plants and meat.

Fundamental Niche

The range of tolerance of all abiotic factors for species

Realized Niche

the actual niche that species occupie because some of its range of tolerance may be occupied by competitors

Interspecific Competition

Competition between different species for the same resources.

Competitive Exclusion

The process where one species has an advantage over another in competition, leading to the decline or migration of the less adapted species.

adaptations of hominidae herbivore

large flat teeth for binding plants

adaptations for hominidae omnivore

large flat teeth and harp ones

adaptation for herbivore insects

tube like mouth for sucking sap, jaw like mouth for chewing and large, grinding mandibles.

plants adaptations to resist preditors

spharp, spiky, toxic, stinging parts

what herbevore can overcome adaptations to plants

aphids, they have saliva that acts as a barrior to plant toxins

predators adaptations for catching prey

maray eel- ambush

lions:l claws, and teeth

cobra: venomus

prey adaptations to get away from preditiors

snapper: get in a school of fish

monarch buterfly: toxic

walking stick: camoflauge

adaptations for trees in rainforests

• grow tall for more light

• vines wrap around other trees for supporrt

• shade tolerant shrubs