B4.2 Ecological Niches

Niche

the unique role that a species plays in the community

spatial habitat

the physical area inhabited by any particular organism

abiotic factors

the aspects of an organism's habitat that are made up of non-livings things (sunlight, soil type, pH, teperature, humidity, water, wind, etc.)

biotic factors

all of the living organisms within an ecosystem

tolerance

how well a species reacts to the presence or something in its environment

aerobic respiration

the chemical transformation of food nutrients into eneryg that requires oxygen

anaerobic respiration

the chemical transformation of food into energy that does not require oxygen

obligate anaerobes

single-celled organisms that have no tolerance to the presence of oxygen and are poisoned by it

facultative anaerobes

organisms that are capable of carring out both anaerobic and aerobic respiration

obligate aerobes

organisms that equire oxygen and cannot convert food nutrients into energy without it

hypoxia

when oxygen in the environment is greatly reduced

anoxia

when oxygen in the environment is absent

autotrophs

organisms that can make their own food from inorganic substances using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

heterotroph

organisms that cannot make their own food but rely on eating other organisms

holozoic nutrition

a way of getting nutrients by ingesting all or part of an organism

mixotrophic nutrition

organisms that are both autotrophic and heterotrophic capable of making their own food and ingeting nutrients from other organisms

obligate mixotroph

need both autotrophic and heterotrophic system to grow and thrive

facultative mixotroph

can survive as either an autotroph or heterotroph but use the other system as a supplement

saprotrophs

organisms that live on or in non-living organic matter, secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing digested products

chemoautotroph

organism capable of producing its own food using chemical reactions without the need for sunlight

Hominidae

family classification of the geat apes that include orangutans, gorilla, chimpanzee, and humans

folivores

primates that eat mostly plant material such as leaves, such as gorillas

frugivores

primate that eat mostly plant material such as fruit, such as orangutans

microwear

small abrations or removal or a tooth's surface made as organisms chew

stylets

modified mouthparts of aphids used to pierce a plant and drink the sugar dissolved in the sap inside

mandibles

modified moutparts of grasshoppers and caterpillars used to cut into grass blade and leaves to help ingest them

ruminant

organism that swallows grass or hay before fully chewing it, then regurgitates it later when they are resting in order to chew it some more (ie. chewing the cud)

herbivory

to feed on plants

phytotoxins

plant poisons made from secondary compounds that can cause nausea, cardia problems or hallucinations when ingested

ambush predator

hide and wait for prey to come near and then pounce on them

illicium

a long thin appendage protruding from the head of an organism that hides on the ocean floor used to attact prey

pack hunting

a group of individuals working cooperatively to bring down a larger prey

pursuit predator

relies on speed to outrun its prey and capture it

persistence hunting

continue to pursue prey for many hours until it drops from fatigue

camoflage

the ability of an organism to take on the appearance of its surroundings

aposematism

the use of dramatically bright and unusual colors to inform potential predators that they are poisonous

canopy

the upper layer of a forest where the crowns of trees are found

understory

zone below the canopy where shorter trees can be found

shrub layer

contains the shortest trees and shrubs

forest floor

home to smaller, non-woody plants

linanas

vines that take root on the forest floor and use trees as a scaffold, allowing them to grow into the canopy to obtain more light

epiphytes

take advantage of the height and strength of trees to get up into the understory or canopy to access sunlight, roots are directly on or in the tree

herbaceous plants

plants that do not produce a woody stem with bark

fundamental niche

the potential niche that it could inhabit, given the adaptations of the species and its tolerance limits

realized niche

the actual niche that it inhabits because of competition with other species

principle of competitive exclusion

no two species in a community can occupy the same niche

interspecific competition

competition between two or more different, but closely related, organisms