Community Interactions

Front

What would happen if there were no more otters in the ecosystem?

Back

The homes of many animals would be destroyed by sea urchins.

Front

What is a niche?

Back

A niche is the function that an organism performs in the food web of that community, including everything else the organism does and needs in its environment, and is specific to each individual animal and plant.

Front

What type of competition occurs between members of the same species?

Back

Intraspecific competition.

Front

What is the term for the ecological relationship where one organism preys on another?

Back

Predator-prey relationship.

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another, such as a tapeworm living in a person's intestines.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit from the interaction.

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Front

What is the role of sea otters in their ecosystem?

Back

Sea otters help control the population of sea urchins, which in turn helps maintain the health of kelp forests.

Front

What happens to kelp forests if sea urchin populations increase?

Back

Kelp forests can be severely damaged as sea urchins consume large amounts of kelp.

Front

What is the difference between intraspecific and interspecific competition?

Back

Intraspecific competition occurs between members of the same species, while interspecific competition occurs between different species.