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Ecosystems and Population Interactions (Trophic Levels :arrow_up_down:…
Ecosystems and Population Interactions
Trophic Levels
:arrow_up_down:
Tertiary Consumers
Carnivores or omnivores that feed on secondary consumers
Secondary Consumers
Carnivores or omnivores that feed on primary consumers
Decomposers
Feed on dead or decaying organic matter
Primary Consumers
Herbivores that feed on primary producers
Primary Producers
Autotrophs that use sunlight to produce energy
Quaternary consumers
Carnivores or omnivores that feed on tertiary consumers
Top Carnivore
Carnivore at the top of the food chain
Detrivores
Interactions
:recycle:
Parastism
(+/-) The parasites gain energy and nutrients ; the host is killed or injured
Ectoparasitism
Endoparasitism
Competition
(-/-) both organisms lose access to some resources
Predation
(+/-) The predator gains energy from eating the prey; the prey are killed
Herbivory
(+/-) herbivores gain energy; plants are killed or injured
Commenalism
(+/0) One organism benefits while the other is unaffected
Mutualism
(+/+) both organisms benefit
Defenses to Avoid Attack
:crossed_swords:
#
Organism size (be too large to tackle)
Eternal vigilance (Be alert)
Chemical defenses (bad taste/toxins)
Avoid detection (don't move when potential predators are around)
Armoring
Take evasive action
Mimicry
Batesian : One that is harmless imitates one that isn't
Mullerian: unrelated species advertise similar conditions
Prey Density :cow2:
Density of food influences choice of prey and how much each organism can consume
Low prey Density
:arrow_down: When prey density is low, organisms tend to feed on animals of all size proportions equally opposed to favoring one size over another
High Prey Density
:arrow_up:
When prey density is high, organisms tend to feed on the larger prey in comparison to the smaller and medium-sized animals
Optimal Forging Theory :scales:
Balancing the amount of food one eats with the amount of risk associated with eating the food
Animals that graze on open plains often have to be wary of predators watching them and preparing to attack
General rules:
If you can 't produce a multiple animal litter, than don't spend more time than you need to on the forging grounds.
if you can produce a multiple animal litter, than invest time on the forging grounds to gain enough energy
Competition :checkered_flag:
Interference: involves one species directly harming another
Exploitative: involves two or more species using the same limiting resource
Keystone Species: have a larger affect on the control of populations than their relative numbers imply
Resource Partitioning :earth_africa:
Fundamental niches vs.realized niches :ocean:
when the fundamental niches of two species overlap, the organisms adapt realized niches to avoid competition for resources
Example: Balanus and Chthamalus
Food Chains and Webs
:spider_web:
Used to illustrate the trophic structure of ecosystems
Food chains are more stable if they have more connections and connections that are more complex
The more connections a web has, the less a loss of one of these connections affects the overall community
Succession :evergreen_tree:
Succession refers to the change in species composition overtime, and is a predictable event
Primary Succession: Begins on habitats without soil
Secondary Succession: Occurs where a previous habitat had once existed
Late Succession/ Climax Communities: the relatively stable community that exists until disturbance