Organism Relationships
Barnacles attach to the skin of whales or turtles, gaining a steady habitat and transport to nutrient-rich waters without affecting the host.
What type of symbiotic relationship is this?
Commensalism
What is mortality?
the death rate of a population
What type of growth is represented by a straight line increasing to the right on a graph.
linear growth
What types of limiting factors for a population have an increasing effect as the population increases?
density-dependent factors
After a forest fire, what type of succession occurs as species begin to grow and inhabit the area slowly?
secondary succession
plants on a forest floor vie for sunlight; taller trees shade out smaller plants, forcing them to adapt or struggle to survive.
What type of relationship is this?
Competition
What is fertility?
the number of offspring produced in a population
What type of growth is represented by a j-curve?
exponential growth
What type of limiting factors for a population are temperature, storms, floods, and droughts?
density-independent factors
Compare the species richness of a tropical forest with 100 tree species and a monoculture pine plantation with 5 species.
The tropical forest has a higher species richness than the pine population.
Coral polyps provide shelter and waste products (CO2, nutrients) to algae, which in turn provide oxygen and glucose (sugar) through photosynthesis.
What type of relationship is this?
Mutualism
Honey bees, as vital pollinators, support the reproduction of approximately 90% of the world's flowering plants, which form the base of many food webs.
What type of species are honey bees an example of?
What shape is a graph showing logistic growth?
S-shaped
Dogs show immense variation in size, shape, and behavior. What type of biodiversity is this an example of?
genetic diversity
Compare the species evenness of the following 2 forests.
Forest A : 10 oaks, 10 maples, 10 pines, 10 birches Forest B : 37 oaks, 1 maple, 1 pine, 1 birch
Forest B has less species evenness because one species dominates. Forest A has the same amount of each species.
What is the difference in a fundamental niche and a realized niche?
A fundamental niche is the role an organism can occupy without competition.
A realized niche is the smaller niche an organism occupies because of competition.
What is a species called that is artificially introduced into an ecosystem?
an invasive species
What is the number of organisms that an environment can support over a long period of time, and what does this look like on a logistic graph?
carrying capacity, this is the level at which the graph fluctuates around at the top of the "s" curve.
A coastal region features adjacent coral reefs, mangrove swamps, sandy beaches, and tropical forests. What type of biodiversity is this an example of?
ecosystem diversity
Volcanic activity created new land in the ocean, Surtsey in Iceland, in 1963. This land was slowly colonized by pioneer species.
What type of succession is this?
primary succession
What is the difference in specialists and generalists?
Specialists are organisms that have limited tolerance and can only withstand small changes in their niche.
Generalists are organisms that adapt easily to changes in their niche due to large ranges of tolerance.
What term means the ability to reproduce?
fecundity
What term do ecologists use to describe the addition of now individuals or births to a population?
natality
How do biodiversity and resilience relate to each other?
Ecosystems with more biodiversity have more resilience. It helps to keep ecosystems in balance because ecosystems with higher biodiversity are better able to withstand natural and human-caused impacts to the environment.
Is a climax community exactly like the original community? Why?
Many climax communities are not the same as the original communities. New species have the opportunity to move in.