Community Interactions

Front

What is competition in ecology?

Back

Competition occurs when organisms attempt to use the same resources, such as food, water, or space.

Front

What is the ecological relationship between tiger beetles and spiders?

Back

Predator-Prey: Tiger beetles chase and eat small spiders.

Front

What is predation?

Back

Predation is an ecological relationship where one organism (the predator) hunts and eats another organism (the prey).

Front

What happens in the Predator-Prey cycle?

Back

The predator population lags behind the prey population because an increase in predators leads to a decrease in prey.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

Mutualism is a type of ecological relationship where both species benefit, such as yucca flowers and yucca moths.

Front

Define parasitism.

Back

Parasitism is a relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another, often harming the host.

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

Commensalism is a relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Front

Give an example of competition in nature.

Back

Two species of birds competing for the same nesting sites.

Front

What is the role of a predator in an ecosystem?

Back

Predators help control the population of prey species, maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

Front

How does mutualism differ from parasitism?

Back

In mutualism, both species benefit, while in parasitism, one benefits at the other's expense.