Bio 2 Exam 5

Where do species interactions occur?

At the community level

Carnivory

(+,-); an organism obtaining energy at the expense of another organism

Herbivory

(+,-); an organism obtaining energy at the expense of a plant

Parasitism

(+,-); an organism benefits at the expense of another- primarily involving latching to or living inside said organism (classified as a host)

Competition

(-,-); two organisms using the same limited resources- expending energy in order to reach said limited resource first

Mutualism

(+,+); a relationship between two organisms, where both organisms benefit

Commensalism

(+,0); a relationship between two organisms, where one organism benefits and the other is not impacted

Amensalism

(0,-); a relationship where one organism is unaffected while the other is harmed

What does coevolution look like?

Predators evolve strategies to capture prey, and prey evolve strategies to avoid predation

Predator strategies

Active chase: actively search and hunt prey

Ambush: predator waits in one place and suddenly attacks

Prey strategies

Morphological defense: porcupine's needles make a predator think twice about attacking

Active escape, alarm call

Crypsis (camouflage)

Chemical defense

Mullerian mimicry

Two or more harmful species resembling each other, both species are dangerous to predators

Batesian mimicry

A benign species that is NOT harmful can mimic a species that is harmful, compromising a predator's education

Parasites

Lives on or inside of prey and consumes certain tissues

Hyperparasites

Parasites of other parasites (speciation; explains why there are so many of them)

Microparasites

Live/reproduce inside host. Can cause symptoms of disease

Ectoparasites

Type of macroparasite: live outside body of host

Ex: leeches

Endoparasites

Type of macroparasite: live inside body of host

Ex: tapeworm

Intraspecific competition

In species, limits K (carrying capacity)

Interspecific competition

External to species (one species versus another, affects each species' population growth)

Competitive exclusion

Single-limiting resource competition

Exploitation competition

Indirect competitive coexistence; reduces the quantitu of their shared resource

Interference competition

Direct competitive coexistence

Resource partitioning

Competitive coexistence: sharing limited resources

Fundamental niche

Physical conditions where a species lives

Realized niche

Part of the fundamental niche where a species lives is based on competition

Obligate mutualism

Mutualistic relationships needed to survive and thrive

Facultative mutualism

Not necessary for survival or reproduction, but both species can benefit

Tropic cascades

Have consequences in species abundance or composition from higher to lower trophic levels

Keystone species

Strong community-wide effects usually via trophic cascades

Foundation species

Strong community-wide effects due to their large size or abundance, provide habitat and food

Ecosystem engineers

Create, modify, or maintain physical habitat for themselves and other species

Disturbance

Any abiotic event that physically or chemically injures or kills individuals, creating opportunities for others to grow and reproduce

Primary production

Converts energy from the sun through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis to allow that energy to be consumed by other organisms

Chemosynthesis

Converts carbon to usable energy for the other organisms

Secondary production

Energy for consumers in food webs, Energy is converted into biomass or heat, which is not directly recycled into the environment

Nutrient cycling

Macro- and micronutrients move through organisms and the physical environment

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Total carbon fixed by primary producers in an ecosystem

Net primary productivity (NPP)

Biomass is incorporated into the tissues of primary producers after respiration

Consumption efficiency

The proportion of available biomass that is ingested by consumers; the amount of biomass a consumer eats

Assimilation efficiency

The proportion of the ingested biomass that consumers assimilate by digestion; of what’s eaten, how much is actually digested

Production efficiency

The proportion of assimilated biomass that is used to produce new consumer biomass; of what’s absorbed, how much becomes new body mass

Trophic efficiency

The amount of energy at one trophic level divided by the amount of energy at the trophic level immediately below it

Top-down control

Consumption determines NPP; higher trophic levels influence lower trophic levels due to predation

Bottom-up control

Resources determine NPP; lower trophic levels influence higher trophic levels through resource availability

Mineralization

Organic compounds are converted into inorganic soluble nutrients with some gaseous losses

Provisioning services

Products: food, timber, water, etc.

Regulating services

Control of hurricanes, floods, disease outbreaks, water, and air quality

Supporting services

Soil formation, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling

Cultural services

Recreational activities, aesthetic and spiritual enrichment