Community Interactions quiz Flashcards

A community is all the populations of different organisms that live in the same area and interact with one another.

Interspecific competition occurs when individuals of different species compete for the same resources, negatively affecting both parties.

A fundamental niche includes all the environmental conditions suitable for an organism, while a realized niche is the part of the fundamental niche that an organism actually occupies due to limiting factors.

The competitive exclusion principle states that if two species occupy the same niche, one will outcompete the other, leading to the extinction of the less competitive species.

Character displacement is when similar species evolve differences to reduce competition, often seen in species with overlapping distributions.

Mutualism is an interaction where both organisms benefit, such as the relationship between pollinators and flowering plants.

Commensalism is an interaction where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected, like fish that follow sharks to feed on scraps.

Predation is an interaction where one organism (the predator) kills and eats another live organism (the prey).

An apex predator is at the top of the food chain and helps regulate the populations of other species, maintaining ecological balance.

Resource partitioning is when similar species differentiate their niches to reduce competition and better exploit available resources.

Coevolution is when species influence each other's evolution due to their interactions, such as a predator and its prey evolving together.

An inducible defense is a trait that is activated in response to predators, such as a skunk spraying a chemical when threatened.

Batesian mimicry is when a non-harmful species imitates the warning signs of a harmful species to avoid predation.

Mullerian mimicry is when two harmful species evolve to resemble each other, enhancing their mutual protection from predators.

Endoparasites live inside the body of their host, while ectoparasites live on the outside of their host.