BSC 2011 Study Guide
Chapter 54
Chapter 54 – Community Ecology
1. What is interspecific competition? What is competitive exclusion?
2. What is an ecological niche? How does resource partitioning help similar species coexist?
3. Define predation as an interaction. What are defenses against predation? Distinguish between
Batesian and Mullerian mimicry.
4. How is herbivory similar and different to predation?
5. Distinguish between parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.
6. Distinguish between species richness and relative abundance. Understand how the Shannon
diversity index measures species diversity.
7. Understand the concepts of food chains and food webs. How does energetics affect food
chains?
8. Distinguish between dominant species, keystone species, and ecosystem engineers.
9. Distinguish between a bottom-up model from a top-down model of community organization.
10. What is ecological succession? Distinguish between primary and secondary succession.
How does disturbance affect succession?
11. Describe the Island Equilibrium Model.
12. What is a zoonotic pathogen?
Key Terms – community, interspecific interactions, competition, competitive exclusion,
ecological niche, fundamental niche, realized niche, resource partitioning, predation, aposematic
coloration, cryptic coloration, Batesian mimicry, Mullerian mimicry, herbivory, symbiosis,
parasitism, parasite, endoparasite, ectoparasite, mutualism, commensalism, species diversity,
species richness, relative abundance, Shannon diversity, biomass, invasive species, trophic
structure, food chain, food web, energetic hypothesis, dominant species, keystone species,
ecosystem engineers, bottom-up model, top-down model, ecological succession, primary
succession, secondary succession, pathogens, zoonotic pathogens, vector
Note: This study guide may not be all inclusive of material covered. The student is responsible for learning all
material covered in lecture and as expected as part of this course.