Niches
Define "Niche"
Role of a species in its environment; includes its abiotic requirements & tolerances & its interactions.
Name 3 types of community interactions
Mutualism, Parasitism, Allelopathy, Competition, Predation, Herbivory
What is dentition?
Teeth
Define ecosystem
Includes all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in an area
What is the chi-squared formula?
x^2=E (O-E/E)^2
Define both the fundamental and realized niche.
Fundamental: A hypothetical environment with all resources available for a species; there is no competition and circumstances are ideal.
Realized: A subset of the fundamental niche, this is where a species must actually compete with others to survive and reproduce; a realistic environment.
What example learned in class showcases symbiosis/mutualism?
The coral and algae:algae gets to live protected inside coral & get CO2 from coral to do photosynthesis.
Algae do PS, giving coral O2 & glucose!
Zoo. get to live protected inside coral & get CO2 from coral to do photosynthesis.
Algae do PS, giving coral O2 & glucose!
Name and explain the three different types of O2 requirements/organisms
1. Obligate aerobe: Needs oxygen, will die without it
2. Obligate anaerobe: Respirates without oxygen, and is poisoned by oxygen
3. Facultative anaerobe: Normally respires aerobically (w/ O2) but can respire without it as well
Define "biome"
Groups of ecosystems with similar abiotic conditions and communities defined by their climate and dominant plant species.
Temperature (affects enzyme activity, rate of PS, rate of decomposition)
Precipitation (affects rate of PS)
Insolation: amount of sunlight (affects rate of PS)
Name all three types of population sampling methods
1. Quadrat method
2. Capture-mark-release method
3. Line transects
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
No two species can occopy the same niche at one time.
What is Herbivory?
An organism feeding on a plant (a plant predator!)
What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs
Autotrophs create their own food while heterotrophs must consume food from outside sources
List 3 examples of different biomes
1. Taiga
2. Tundra
3. Arctic forest
4. Temperate forest
5. Tropical rainforest
6. Savannah/grasslands
7. Chaparral
What is the line transect method?
When a piece of tape/string is randomly laid out across an area and every organism (the one being studies) touching it is counted.
What causes a realized niche to be different from a fundamental niche?
A realized niche is a result of competition/includes it. Fundamental has no competition, hence why it is ideal.
What is Allelopathy?
When one plant produces chemicals that inhibit the growth or germination of another plant.
Name the organism that uses this type of nutrition: food is ingested and digested internally
1. Heterotrophs
2. Holozoic nutrition.
Define both biotic and abiotic
Biotic: Everything that is alive or used to be alive
Abiotic: Everything that is not alive
What happens when your chi-squared value comes out as 0?
You must accept your null hypothesis because it shows that there is no assocation between your species being observed.
Connect evolution to niche(s)
Give one example from class as an example of interspecific competition
1) Barnacles: when one species in their fundamental niche was doing well, then another species of barnacle was introduced and the original species declined.
2) Knox and Ivan fighting over floor candy
What is the difference between a saprotroph and a detrivore?
A saprotroph eats dead things by secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing that product (external digestion). A detrivore simply consumes a dead thing.
What is the maximum number a population can reach before being unsupported called? (Bonus if you can include what helps keep this under control)
1. Carrying capacity (K)
2. (Bonus): Limiting factors/density dependent factors.
Define both motile and non-motile
Motile: Something that moves
Non-motile: Does not move