what are the ecological interactions
what is mutualism?
2 species that benefit from that relationship.
ex) ants and acacia trees.
what do plants typically compete for?
- fight for light in temperate trees (dense population)
- fight for water in deserts
- fight for nitrogen in crops (fertilize plants)
what are ghost meese and winter ticks?
ticks damage their fur so they can't cope with the colder environments.
- physiological example.
plants
- primary producer
- use energy from the sun to produce own energy (autotrophs)
what are challenges with food webs?
they are difficult to construct, most are incomplete
what is commensalism?
1 individual benefits and the other is not impacted in a positive or negative way.
ex) birds and bison.
What do animals typically compete for?
what is an ecological network?
description of interactions that occur among species in a community.
insects
- 2nd trophic level
- primary consumer
- herterotrophs
what are trophic dynamics?
# of trophic levels and energy content in each are limited by inefficient transfer of energy up the food chain and net primary production
what is exploitation?
ex) Lion and Buffalo
what are the plant defences of herbivory?
natural selection increases plant defenses in plants with reduced fitness due to herbivory.
What are trophic networks?
description of feeding relationships among species in a community.
ex) food webs.
spiders
- 3rd trophic level
- secondary consumer
what is the 10% rule?
only ~10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed to the next one.
What is amensalism?
one organism is harmed, while the other is neither harmed nor benefits
ex) goats and insects
what is predation?
aposematic colouration - bright or distinct colouration in prey which displays that they are toxic or distasteful.
müllerian mimicry: several species of toxic animals share similar warning colouration or pattern.
what is a food web?
a description of all feeding relationships in a community.
ptarmigan
- 4th trophic level
- tertiary consumer
what is a landscape?
patchwork of ecosystems.
What is competition?
when organisms are competing for resources.
- costly because both species use energy which makes this negative for both species.
what are parasites?
ectoparasites: outside body of their hosts. ex) ticks on a turtle
endoparasites: inside body of their hosts. ex) dog heartworm, tapeworm.
What is a food chain?
linear description of how energy moves through a community.
arctic fox
- 5th trophic level
- quaternary consumer
what is habitat fragmentation?
- habitat is broken up by human activities/infrastructure
why is this a problem?
- some species cannot cross through these areas which prevents them from accessing resources. increased mortality when crossing.