COMMUNITY ECOLOGY Populations of different species that live and interact at same place and same time.

COMMUNITY ECOLOGYPopulations of different species that live and interact at same place and same time

ECOLOGICAL NICHE

Totality of adaptations to environment, use of resources and lifestyle

2 Types of Niches: Fundamental Realized

3 TYPES OF COMMUNITY INTERACTIONSCompetitionPredationSymbiosis

COMPETITION

Intraspecific or Interspecific

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Ways to reduce competition: Resource partitioning Character displacement

PREDATION

One species uses another for food Hunting Herbivory

Affected by natural selection

Coevolution

PREDATOR STRATEGIES

Pursuit strategies

Ambush strategies Camouflage Attraction

ANIMAL DEFENSES

Mechanical defenses: quills, shells, barbs

Chemical defenses

Cryptic coloration

Mimicry

TYPES OF MIMICRY:

Batesian Model and mimic Coral snake (model) and king snake

(mimic)

Mullerian

PLANT ADAPTATIONS

Attraction

Defense: Structures: spines,

thorns, tough leaves, wax

Chemical defenses Warning coloration

SYMBIOSIS

Mutualism

Commensalism

Parasitism and pathogens

COMMUNITY CHARACTER CAN BE AFFECTED BY…Keystone species

Dominant species

KEYSTONE SPECIES INCREASE DIVERSITY

Greatly affect other species

Impact is disproportionate to abundance

DOMINANT SPECIES

Common

Affect on community due to abundance

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?Species richness

Diversity

WHY DO SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE MORE SPECIES?

Complexity of habitat

Geographic isolation

Habitat stress

Ecotones

Geological history

SPECIES RICHNESS MAY PROMOTE STABILITYMore species, less important any 1 is

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Succession = stages Species in 1 stage replaced by different

species Usu. described in terms of vegetation

2 types Primary Secondary

Used to talk about climax communities

Currently, intermediate disturbance hypothesis Species richness greatest at

intermediate levels of disturbance