Interactions in Ecosystems

Interactions in Ecosystems

Vocab words from this section

• adaptations

• niche

• competition

• predation

• symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)

Adaptations

An adaptation is a characteristic (physical feature or behavior) that makes an individual better suited to a specific environment that eventually become common in that species through a process called natural selection.

Multiple Choice

Animals that adapt

• stay the same

• change certain characteristics to survive

Multiple Choice

Physical or behavioral:

a hedgehog rolls itself into a ball for protection.

• Physical Adaptation

• Behavioral Adaptation

Multiple Choice

An example of a physical adaptation is ...

• a turtle hiding in its shell.

• a rabbit burrowing underground.

• the spikes on a porcupine fish.

• a viper biting when threatened.

Multiple Choice

How doe adaptations help animals?

• to escape predators

• to survive in their habitats

• to find/hunt for food

• all of these!

Multiple Choice

A bittern bird and the key deer both live in Florida. The bird blends in with its environment in the tall sawgrass and freezes when it feels threatened and points its head into the air to imitate the sawgrass. The key deer lives the forests, is brown, and freezes when it senses danger. What adaptations are similar between these two animals?

• they both blend in with their environment and they don't move

• they both use their small size to hide from predators.

• they both huddle together in other groups of animals to blend in

• the both use their speed to escape predators

Competition and Predation

Competition - when two species that occupy the same niche, the organisms will struggle to survive as they use the same limited resources.

Predation - an interaction between organisms when one organism (the predator) kills another organism (prey) for food.

Multiple Choice

In an ecosystem, members of the lizards are observed eating members of the insect population. In the same ecosyste, birds are also observed using insects as a food source. The relationship between the lizards and birds is ...

• predator/prey

• competitive

• cooperative

Multiple Choice

Different species are most likely to compete for resources in an ecosystem if both species attempt to ...

• find different food sources

• successfully reproduce

• live in different habitats

• occupy the same niche

Multiple Choice

As the population of prey decreases, the population of predator which eats it will ...

• increase

• remain constant

• decrease

Symbiosis - any relationship in which two different species live closely together.

• Mutualism - both species benefit

• Commensalism - one species benefits, the other is neutral

• Parasitism - one species benefits, the other species is harmed.

Multiple Choice

Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower. What type of symbiosis?

• commensalism

• parasitism

• mutualism

• predation

Multiple Choice

Red-billed oxpeckers are birds that feed on parasites that infest impala. This is an example of _______________.

• commensalism

• neutralism

• mutualism

• competition

Multiple Choice

When a mosquito bites you, you are the ...

• host and the mosquito is the hostess.

• host, and the mosquito is the parasite.

• parasite, and the mosquito is the host.

• prey, and the mosquito is the predator.

Multiple Choice

Clownfish live among sea anemones, acting as a lure for the sea anemone's prey. The clownfish get protection and shelter from the anemone. This is an example of which type of symbiosis?

• mutualism

• commensalism

• parasitism

Multiple Choice

A squirrel hides his acorns from the chipmunks for the winter.

• commensalism

• parasitism

• competition

• mutualism

Multiple Choice

A bird makes a nest in a tree.  The bird gets a house, but the tree is unharmed.

• Commensalism
• Mutualism
• Parasitism

Multiple Choice

Hookworms enter the human body by burrowing into the skin of the feet. Once in the skin, they enter the bloodstream and travel to the small intestine where they attach to the walls and begin to drink the person's blood and weaken the victim.

• mutualism

• commensalism

• parasitism

Multiple Choice

Which of he following interactions demonstrates a PARASITIC relationship?

• A mosquito sucking blood from a warm blooded animal.

• A group of baby otters floating together to help warm each other in the cold waters.

• Many fish swimming together to protect each other from predators.

• Two hyenas fighting over a female to mate with.

Multiple Choice

A bee and a flower work together to benefit each other. This is an example of a ______. The bee helps the flower by pollinating it and the flower helps the bee by providing it with nectar.

• commensalistic relationship

• parasitic relationship

• mutualistic relationship

Multiple Choice

Aphids are tiny insects that live on and eat the leaves of plants, removing vital nutrients from the plants.

• Predation

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

Multiple Choice

Lichens are close associations of fungi and algae. The fungi hold the water supply and the algae perform photosynthesis to manufacture carbohydrates for both organisms.

• mutualism

• commensalism

• parasitism

Multiple Choice

In the jungles of South America lives a thorn tree call an acacia. A species of ant eats secretions of the acacia, drinks its sap, and raises its young in the hollow thorns. The ants also keep competing vines from growing near the acacia tree and they help repel any insects that would damage the acacia tree.

• mutualism

• commensalism

• parasitism

Multiple Choice

Lactobacilli are a type of bacteria that live in our lungs and destroy many of the microorganisms that enter our respiratory system. They are highly adapted to living in our lungs and can't survive in many other habitats.

• mutualism

• commensalism

• parasitism