Biology 2

Ch.48 Objectives

Community Ecology

1. Compare and contrast the individualistic hypothesis of H.A. Gleason and the interactive hypothesis of F.E. Clements with respect to communities.

2. Explain the relationship between species richness, relative abundance and diversity.

3. List four properties of a community and explain the importance of each.

4. Explain how interspecific competition may affect community structure.

5. Describe the Competitive Exclusion Principle and explain how competitive exclusion may affect community structure.

6. Distinguish between an organism’s fundamental niche and realized niche.

7. Explain how resource partitioning can affect species diversity.

8. Describe the defense mechanisms evolved by plants to reduce predation by herbivores.

9. Explain how cryptic coloration and aposematic coloration aid an animal in avoiding predators.

10. Distinguish between Batesian mimicry and Mullerian mimicry.

11. Describe how predators use mimicry to obtain prey.

12. Explain the role of predators in community structure.

13. Distinguish among parasitism, mutualism and commensalism.

14. Explain why it is difficult to determine what factor is most important in structuring a community.

15. Distinguish between primary succession and secondary succession.

16. Explain how inhibition and facilitation may be involved in succession.

17. Describe how natural and human disturbances can affect community succession.

18. Explain how the intensity of disturbances can affect equilibrium and species diversity.

19. List the factors involved in limiting a species to a particular range.

20. Describe the mechanisms which contribute to the global clines in diversity.

21. Explain the factors which determine what species eventually inhabit islands.