Ecology Ch 13-17

Front 1

Endoparasites

Back 1

live within the host, in the alimentary canal, or within cells or tissues.
Example: Tapeworms (endoparasites) have a scolex, a structure with suckers and hooks to attach to the host’s intestinal wall.
Once it is attached, the tapeworm absorbs food that the host has already digested

Front 2

Ectoparasites

Back 2

live on the outer body surface of the host.
Examples: Athlete’s foot fungus, fleas, mites, lice, and ticks

Front 3

coevolution

Back 3

When populations of two interacting species evolve together, each in response to selection imposed by the other

Front 4

Hemiparasite

Back 4

1. A plant, such as mistletoe, that obtains some nourishment from its host but also photosynthesizes. Also called semiparasite.

2. An organism that can live either independently or as a parasite.

Front 5

Hyperparasite

Back 5

a parasite that preys on another parasite

Front 6

Symbionts

Back 6

organisms that live in or on other organisms.
More than half of the millions of species that live on Earth are symbionts.

Some symbionts are mutualists, but
the majority are parasites.

Front 7

parasite

Back 7

consumes the tissues or
body fluids of the organism on which it
lives, its host.

As a group, parasites typically harm, but
do not immediately kill, the organisms
they eat (unlike predators)

Front 8

Pathogens

Back 8

parasites that cause
diseases

Front 9

Macroparasites

Back 9

large, such
as arthropods and worms

Front 10

Microparasites

Back 10

microscopic,
such as bacteria

Front 11

obligate

Back 11

not optional for either species

Front 12

facultative

Back 12

not obligate and show few signs of coevolution

Front 13

Mutualism

Back 13

mutually beneficial
interaction between individuals of two
species (+/+)
In a mutualism, the net benefits must exceed the net costs for both partners

Front 14

Commensalism

Back 14

individuals of one
species benefit, while individuals of the
other species do not benefit and are not
harmed (+/0).
Millions of species form +/0
relationships with organisms that
provide habitat.
Examples: lichens that grow on trees,
bacteria on your skin

Front 15

mycorrhizae

Back 15

symbiotic associations between plant roots and various types of fungi

the fungus gets energy in the form of carbohydrates and the plant gets help in taking up limiting nutrients, such as phosphorus

Front 16

Ectomycorrhizae

Back 16

the fungus grows
between root cells and forms a mantle
around the exterior of the root

Front 17

Arbuscular mycorrhizae

Back 17

(endomycorrhizae) the fungus grows into the soil, extending some distance away from the root; and also
penetrates into some of the plant root
cells

Front 18

Trophic mutualisms

Back 18

a mutualist receives energy or nutrients from its partner
Example: Leafcutter
ants and fungus

Front 19

Habitat mutualisms

Back 19

one partner provides the other with shelter, a place to live, or favorable habitat.

Example: Alpheid (pistol) shrimp dig a burrow that that they share with a goby fish

Front 20

Service mutualisms

Back 20

interactions in which one partner performs an ecological service for the other.

Ecological services include
pollination, dispersal, and defense against herbivores, predators, or parasites

Front 21

Altruism

Back 21

Altruistic behavior benefits other organisms, at a cost to oneself;
The partners in a mutualism are not altruistic.

Front 22

Cheaters

Back 22

individuals that increase offspring production by overexploiting their mutualistic partner.

If this happens, the interaction probably won’t persist.

If the cheater overexpolits its mutualistic partner and does not get punished, it will eventually drive the partner, and itself, to extinction.

Front 23

ammensalism

Back 23

occurs when one species hurts another, but does not benefit from this interaction. It is a -/0 relationship.

For example, algal blooms can lead to the death of many species of fish, however the algae do not benefit from the deaths of these individuals

Front 24

endosymbiont

Back 24

(cell and molecular biology) A symbiont that lives within the body of the host without deleterious effect on the host.

Front 25

inclusive fitness

Back 25

(kin selection) the fitness of an individual organism as measured in terms of the survival and reproductive success of its kin, each relative being valued according to the probability of shared genetic information, an offspring or sibling having a value of 50 percent and a cousin 25 percent

Front 26

kin selection

Back 26

(inclusive fitness) the fitness of an individual organism as measured in terms of the survival and reproductive success of its kin, each relative being valued according to the probability of shared genetic information, an offspring or sibling having a value of 50 percent and a cousin 25 percent

Front 27

evolutionary stable strategy

Back 27

a strategy that, when used by an entire population, is resistant to invasion by new (mutant) strategies,
i.e., is stable with respect to evolutionary changes

Front 28

Communities

Back 28

groups of interacting species that occur together at the same place and time

Front 29

Trophic levels

Back 29

groups of species that have similar ways of obtaining energy (e.g., primary producers, primary consumers)

Front 30

omnivores

Back 30

species that feed on more than one trophic level

Front 31

Species richness

Back 31

the number of species in a community

Front 32

Species evenness

Back 32

relative abundances compared with one another

Front 33

Species diversity

Back 33

combines species richness and species evenness

Front 34

Biodiversity

Back 34

describes the diversity of important ecological entities that span multiple spatial scales, from genes to species to communities.
Implicit is the interconnectedness of all components of diversity

Front 35

Dominant species

Back 35

(foundation species) can have a large effect on other species and species diversity by virtue of high abundance or biomass

Front 36

ecosystem engineers

Back 36

dominant species that create, modify, or maintain physical habitat for themselves and other species.

Example: Trees—provide habitat and food; reduce light, wind and rainfall, which changes temperature and moisture conditions; roots increase weathering and soil aeration

Front 37

Context dependent

Back 37

Species interactions can change under different environmental conditions

Some keystone species play important roles in their communities in one context, but not in another

Front 38

Alpha diversity

Back 38

the diversity within a particular area or ecosystem; usually expressed by the number of species (i.e., species richness) in that ecosystem refers to the diversity within a particular area or ecosystem, and is usually expressed by the number of species (i.e., species richness) in that ecosystem

Front 39

facilitation

Back 39

The phenomenon observed during succession in which the presence of one species increases the likelihood or speed of colonization by a second species. The first species brings about some change in the environment that make it more favourable for the second. For example, a pre-existing plant may provide the germinating seeds and seedlings of another species with vital shelter from the wind or protection from herbivores. Alternatively, it may alter the nature of the soil, for example by changing the pH, sufficiently to permit growth of a new incoming species.

Front 40

Guild

Back 40

A group of diverse species, especially animal species, that occupy a common niche in a given community, characterized by exploitation of environmental resources in the same way

Front 41

Primary Producer

Back 41

In an ecosystem, an organism (primarily green photosynthetic plants) that utilizes the energy of the sun and inorganic molecules from the environment to synthesize organic molecules

Front 42

secondary consumers

Back 42

carnivores who feed on herbivores

Front 43

tertiary consumers

Back 43

carnivores who feed on other carnivores

Front 44

foliage height diversity

Back 44

a quantitative index for the distribution of vegetation density from the ground to the tops of the trees

From an avian point of view, the physical structur ("physiognomy") of a plant community (how the foliage is distributed vertically) is often more important than the actual species of plants making up the vegetation.