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species diversity
the number of species occupying the same habitat and their relative abundance
Ecology is studied at the community level to
understand how species interact with each other and compete for the same resources
Mechanical defenses
discourage animal predation and herbivory by causing physical pain to the predator or by physically preventing the predator from being able to eat the prey
Chemical defenses are produced by
animals and plants
camouflage
avoiding detection by blending in with the background
aposematic coloration
species using coloration as a way of warning predators that they are not good to eat
Batesian mimicry
harmless species imitates the warning coloration of a harmful one
Müllerian mimicry
multiple species share the same warning coloration, but all of them actually have defenses
Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry
a deadly prey mimics a less dangerous one
competitive exclusion principle
two species cannot occupy the same niche in a habitat
resource partitioning
minimizes direct competition
Symbiotic relationships are
close interactions between individuals of different species over an extended period of time which impact the abundance and distribution of the associating populations
commensal relationship
occurs when one species benefits from the close, prolonged interaction, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed
mutualism
two species benefit from their interaction
parasite
organism that lives in or on another living organism and derives nutrients from it
a parasite is ( ) to kill the host
unlikely
Foundation species
“base” or “bedrock” of a community, having the greatest influence on its overall structure
Biodiversity
communities biological complexity based on species richness and relative abundance
species richness
used to describe the number of species living in a habitat or biome
A determining factor of species richness includes
latitude
Greatest species richness occurs at the
equator
Lowest species richness occurs near the
poles
the study of island biogeography attempts to explain the
relatively high species richness found in certain isolated island chains
Relative species abundance
the number of individuals in a species relative to the total number of individuals in all species within a habitat, ecosystem, or biome
keystone species
species whose presence is key to maintaining biodiversity within an ecosystem and to upholding an ecological community’s structure
Community dynamics
changes in the community structure and composition over time that can be induced by environmental disturbances
environmental disturbances
volcanoes, earthquakes, storms, fires, and climate change
primary succession
newly exposed or newly formed land is colonized by living things
secondary succession
part of an ecosystem is disturbed and remnants of the previous community remain
pioneer species
hearty plants and lichens with few soil requirements
climax community
equilibrium state which will remain stable until the next disturbance
Note
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