Ecology test 2

A comprehensive glossary of ecological terms covering interspecific competition mechanisms, predator-prey interactions and defense adaptations, population responses, and parasitic strategies.

What is Interspecific competition

An interaction where individuals of 2 or more species share a limited resource, resulting in reduced fitness for both participant species.

What are the two types of interspecific competition?

Interference (direct) and exploitation (indirect)

What is consumption competition?

Consuming share resources

What is Preemption competition

occupying a space before others can get there

What is Overgrowth competition

physically growing over another so that it doesn’t get resources like light or space.

What is Chemical interaction competition

releasing growth inhibitors or toxins that inhibit or kill competing species.

What is Territorial competition

exclusion of other species or individuals from space and its associated resources.

What is Encounter competition

Nonterritorial interactions between individuals that negatively affect one or both participant species, such as fighting over food.

True or false: The more similar a niche, the less likely they are to compete

False

What is Competitive exclusion

The idea that 2 species with identical niches cannot coexist indefinitely and that 1 species will be a more effective competitor and outcompete the other.

What happens during coexistence?

Both species get less, but one always gets a little more

What happens during stable equilibrium?

Both species existent lower population levels

What is a Competitive release

Removing one competitor to see if the loser expands its niche

What happens during Ecological release

A species invades a new habitat with no competitors

What is the relationship between competition and fitness

The more competition, the less fitness

What is Resource partitioning

A form of reducing competition by exploiting resources that are unavailable to other species, therefore changing your niche

What causes resource partitioning?

Coevolution of new characteristics

What is Character displacement

A change in morphology or behavior As a way to reduce competition by altering their niche

What does the superior competitor cause evolutionarily?

Others to change

What is Resource specialization

A temporary alteration in resource used by a species to minimize competition.

What does it mean to be? Sympatric

2 species occur together

What does it mean to be Allopatric

2 species occur in separate areas

What does it mean to practice Allelopathy

organism produces biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, or reproduction of other nearby organisms.

What is Predation

An interaction where one consumes the other

Are scavengers and decomposers considered predators

No

What level of interaction is predation?

Community

What does it mean to be a true predator?

An agent of mortality that consumes and does not pass on nutrients, therefore if a seed Is destroyed and not passed the consumer would be a true predator

What are Alarm pheromones

A chemical signal that is released telling members of the same species of predator is present

What is a repellent?

A chemical signal that repels a predator like a skunk spray

What are secondary chemical predator defenses?

Toxin/poisons or any chemical that taste bad or is poisonous such as nicotine produced by tobacco plants

What is cryptic coloration?

Camouflage

What is Object resemblance?

Camouflage to look like a Non prey item or another body part to deflect predator to Attention

What is flashing coloration?

Invisible color patches that are flashed to distract predators or signal others of the same species

What is aposematic coloration

Warning colors, such as the black and yellow colors on bumblebees

What is batesian mimicry

The animal is not harmful, but is mimicking something that is

What is mullerian mimicry

Both are harmful and are mimicking each other like bumblebees and Yellowjackets both have black and yellow

what is predator satiation?

The over abundance of prey so predators are full

What are permanent defenses?

Fixed features on the prey like coloration

What are induced defenses?

The presence of a predator causes the defense like alarm calls

What are some camouflage predator tactics?

Cryptic coloration, mimicry, luring

Most which is the most Energy use: Ambush, stalk, Chase

Chase

What is optimal foraging theory?

That there is a Trade off between the energy gained versus the energy spent searching for food

What is the population trend of lemmings?

They have a boom and bust every four years

How do you generalist predators respond to lemmings

Since generous predators eat other things beside lemmings, they fluctuate in sync with their numbers, eating other things

How do specialist predators react to lemming population changes?

They lag behind lemming numbers by a year

What is a Zero growth isocline

The set of values of two population sizes at which the population growth rate of a species equals $0$.

Who is Joseph H. Connell

An ecologist known for studying interspecific competition among barnacles in the field.

Who is George Gause

A biologist who studied competitive exclusion and population dynamics using Paramecium.

Vector (mathematical)

A mathematical entity represented by a line that possesses both direction and magnitude.

Numerical response

A predator-prey relationship describing the change in the number of predator offspring produced in response to changes in prey density, which can be constrained by space limitations.

Microparasite

A small parasite characterized by a short lifespan, rapid reproduction, direct host-to-host transmission, and the causing of infectious diseases.

Macroparasite

A relatively large parasite characterized by a longer lifespan, direct or indirect transmission cycles, and frequently requiring multiple hosts to complete development.

Ectoparasite

A parasite that lives and feeds on the exterior surface of its host's body.

Endoparasite

A parasite that lives and feeds inside the body tissues or cavities of its host.

Haustorium

A specialized morphological organ in parasitic plants used to penetrate host tissue to extract water and nutrients.

Hemiparasite

A photosynthetic parasitic plant containing chlorophyll that extracts water ($H_2O$) and dissolved mineral nutrients from the xylem of its host, such as mistletoe.

Holoparasite

A non-photosynthetic parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll that completely relies on its host for carbohydrates, water ($H_2O$), and nutrients by tapping into both the xylem and phloem.

Indirect transmission (parasitology)

A mode of parasite dissemination that relies on an intermediate carrier or vector to transfer the parasite from one host organism to another.