Chapter 4: Ecosystems and Communities

Explore ecosystems, communities, and their interactions!

Climate Sort the statements into the correct category. Weather the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place It is going to rain all day Sunday will be almost 90 degrees Climate the average condition of temperature and precipitation in a region over long periods The state of Washington averages 40 inches of rain per year Niches and Community Interactions predation one organism catches another organism and eats it competition two organisms attempt to use the same limited resource mutualism a symbiotic relationship when both species benefit from each other parasitism a symbiotic relationship when one species benefits (the parasite) and the the other species is harmed (the host) commensalism a symbiotic relationship when one species benefits and the other is unaffected (not benefited or harmed) keystone species a species, that if removed, could cause dramatic changes to the ecosystem Symbiosis Sorting Sort the descriptions of symbiosis into the correct category. Mutualism The oxpeckers (a kind of bird) land on rhinos or zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The oxpeckers get food and the rhino get rid of parasites. Also, when there is danger, the oxpeckers fly upward and scream a warning. Spider crabs live in shallow areas of the ocean floor, and greenish-brown algae lives on the crabs' backs, making the crabs blend in with their environment, and unnoticeable to predators. The algae gets a good place to live, and the crab gets camouflage. Commensalism The remora (Echeneis naucrates) rides attached to sharks. Remoras have a flat, oval sucking disk on the top of their heads that adheres to the bodies of the sharks. Remoras feed on the leftovers of the shark's meals. The great egret (Ardea alba) follows herding animals. They feed on insects turned up by grazing mammals moving through the grassland. Parasitism Toxocara canis is a roundworm that lives inside the intestines of dogs. The roundworm weakens the dog because it is taking nutrients away from the dog. Ticks feed attach to deer to eat. They can transfer harmful bacteria in the process. The type of succession that occurs after a disturbance that removes all remnants of land. primary succession secondary succession The first organisms to start to grow on rocks, for example, lichen. Pioneer species invasive species The type of succession that occurs after a disturbance that does not completely destroy it. primary succession secondary succession