Section 14- 1 and 2:
Study Guide A
MAIN IDEA: A habitat differs from a niche.
Fill in the blank with the term that best completes the sentence.
1. A(n)__________ is the place where an organism lives.
2. A(n) __________ is how an organism lives.
3. Determine which of the ecological factors listed in the box below are part of a lion’s habitat and which
are a part of a lion’s niche. Write each item in the correct column.
MAIN
Resource
gives
food
other lions
temperature
wildebeest
grass
sand
trees
zebra
hunting behavior
savanna
watering hole
IDEA:
availability
structure
to a community.
Habitat
Niche
4.
Two species
that are able to divide
the resources in a niche
without competing are
involved in
________________.
5.
One species of
squirrel develops larger teeth that can crack larger nuts than another squirrel species living the same
niche. This description is an example of competitive exclusion that has resulted in
_____________________.
6. Honeybees collect pollen from flowers. Butterflies collect nectar from flowers. This relationship is an
example of _____________________.
7. The principle of ___________________________ states that when two species compete for the same
resources, one species will be better adapted to the niche and the other species will be pushed into
another niche or become extinct.
8. Species that occupy similar niches but live in different parts of the world are called
___________________________.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Holt McDougal Biology
2
Interactions in Ecosystems
Next to each situation described below, write whether it is an example of interspecific competition or
intraspecific competition.
_________________ 1. Two squirrels race up a tree to reach a hidden pile of nuts.
_________________ 2. A hyena chases off a vulture to feast on an antelope carcass.
_________________ 3. Different species of shrubs and grasses on the forest floor compete for sunlight.
_________________ 4. Brown bears hunting for fish on a river’s edge fight over space.
_________________ 5. Male big horn sheep butt heads violently in competition for mates.
Symbiotic
Relationship
Description
Example
7. _______________ Both organism A and
organism B benefit from
their interaction.
Long-nosed bat feeds on
cactus fruit, and helps
spread the cactus seeds.
8. _______________ Organism A benefits from
Mites find a home in
an interaction with organism human eyelashes but do
B. Organism B does not
no harm to the human.
benefit, nor is it harmed.
9. _______________ Organism A benefits from
its interaction with organism
B. Organism B is harmed by
the interaction.
10.
A tapeworm absorbs
nutrients from a mammal’s
digestive system, reducing
the amount of food
available to the mammal.
A parasite differs from a _________________ because it keeps its prey alive as long as possible.
a. ectoparasite
b. endoparasite
c. predator
d. symbiont
11. A tapeworm that lives in the digestive system of its host is an example
of a(n) _________________
a. ectoparasite
b. endoparasite
c. predator
d. symbiont
12. A close ecological relationship between two or more organisms of different species that live in direct
contact with one another is ___________________.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Holt McDougal Biology
2
Interactions in Ecosystems