Unit 8 Review

Front

What is the definition of carrying capacity?

Back

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustainably support.

Front

What is competition in ecology?

Back

The struggle between organisms for limited resources such as food, water, and shelter.

Front

What is the difference between interspecific and intraspecific competition?

Back

Interspecific competition occurs between different species, while intraspecific competition occurs within the same species.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Front

Why did the rabbits thrive in Australia after being introduced?

Back

They had no natural predators, allowing their population to grow rapidly.

Front

What is an example of a limiting resource in an ecosystem?

Back

Food, water, shelter, or mates.

Front

What happens to a species that loses in competition?

Back

It may decline in population or be eliminated from the habitat.

Front

What is the role of predators in an ecosystem?

Back

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