Skip to main content
Pearson+ LogoPearson+ Logo

Introduction to Community Ecology exam Flashcards

Introduction to Community Ecology exam
1/28
  • Community Ecology
    The study of interactions among various species within a community, focusing on structure, diversity, and abundance.
  • Community
    Multiple populations of different species living and interacting in the same area.
  • Community Structure
    Refers to the diversity, abundance, and overall organization of different species in a community.
  • What are the four main types of community interactions?
    Competition, exploitation, mutualism, and commensalism.
  • Competition
    An interaction where species vie for the same resources in an ecosystem.
  • Exploitation
    An interaction where one species benefits at the expense of another, including predation, herbivory, and parasitism.
  • Mutualism
    An interaction where both species benefit from the relationship.
  • Commensalism
    An interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
  • What is competitive exclusion?
    The principle that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist if other ecological factors are constant.
  • Resource Partitioning
    The division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in an ecological niche.
  • Character Displacement
    The phenomenon where differences among similar species are accentuated in regions where the species co-occur.
  • Predation
    An interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, the prey.
  • Herbivory
    An interaction where an organism eats parts of a plant or alga.
  • Parasitism
    An interaction where one organism, the parasite, lives on or in another organism, the host, causing it harm.
  • Trophic Structure
    The feeding relationships between organisms in a community.
  • What are bottom-up and top-down effects?
    Bottom-up effects are driven by the presence or absence of producers, while top-down effects are driven by the presence or absence of top predators.
  • Ecological Succession
    The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.
  • Primary Succession
    Succession that occurs in an area where no previous community existed.
  • Secondary Succession
    Succession that occurs in areas where a community previously existed but was disturbed.
  • Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
    The concept that moderate levels of disturbance can foster greater species diversity than low or high levels of disturbance.
  • Geographic Impact
    The influence of geographic factors like latitude and area on community composition.
  • Latitude Effect
    The observation that species diversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower towards the poles.
  • Area Effect
    The principle that larger areas tend to have more species than smaller areas.
  • Island Equilibrium Model
    A model that describes the balance between immigration and extinction rates on islands.
  • What is the significance of biodiversity in ecosystem stability?
    Biodiversity enhances ecosystem stability by providing a variety of species that can adapt to changes and disturbances.
  • Species Interactions
    The various ways in which species interact within a community, including competition, exploitation, mutualism, and commensalism.
  • What does community ecology focus on?
    It focuses on the interactions among species, community structure, diversity, abundance, and the effects of geographic factors.
  • Species Impact
    The influence that a species has on the structure and function of a community.