Niche, Competition & Predator / Prey Review
7th Grade Environmental Science
Mrs. Krempa
Name _________________________________
Date & Period __________________________
Try to answer the following questions without looking at your notes! Circle the questions you don’t know
or are unsure of, then look up the correct answer in your notes. This is great practice for the quiz!!
1. Define prey. animal that is eaten by a predator
2. Give two examples of a species that is the prey of another species. Bunny, mouse, rat, lizard –
anything that is a good “no brainer” example of something that gets eaten!!
3. Define predator. organisms that eats another animal for energy and nutrients
4. Give two examples of a predator. Lion, Tiger, Bear (Oh my!), Cheetah, snake - anything that is a good
“no brainer” example of something that eats something else!!
5. Explain why predators and their prey have similar population cycles. Which population “leads” the
cycle?
Prey species lead the population cycle. If there is no food, then there are no predators. Food
(prey) is the driving force – if there is more food, then there can be more predators to eat that food
(prey). If more predators eat the food, the food supply goes down, then the predators will decrease
too because their food is gone. Remember the “rollercoaster” analogy…
6. Define competition. When organisms fight for the same limited resource
7. List two examples of same species competition. Lion vs Lion for control of the pride
Dog vs. dog for a bone on the carpet
8. List two examples of different species competition. Giraffe vs. Zebra for water at watering hole
Lion vs Hyena for a dead Zebra
9. List all of the resources an organisms needs to survive. Food, Water, Shelter
10. Define niche. The role a population plays in the ecosystem
11. In your own words, what does niche mean? My words? your personal space, materials, climate, and
resources… AND what you do with everything!
Taken from your hand written notes… What an organism does and when & where it does it.
12. A fundamental niche is the theoretical niche, the niche that an organism could occupy.
13. What is the niche in which an organism actually lives called? Realized niche
14. List the four things that characterize a predator. Top of food chain – rarely hunted or eaten
Can be herbivores (depends on the definition!)
Help keep prey populations in check
Increase diversity in ecosystem (make open niches)
15. Can an herbivore be a predator? Why or why not!
An herbivore CAN be a predator depending on the definition. By some definitions, a predator is
an organism that eats other living things. A cow eats grass which is a living thing. So that makes
a cow a predator! (If the definition does NOT include the word “hunt” or animal eating other
animals!)
16. Can more than one organism occupy the same niche at the same time? Why or why not?
If two species where in the same niche at the same time they would be trying to eat the
same thing at the same time, sleeping in the same place, etc. The two organisms would be
in direct competition for all resources. Resources would be cut in half so neither organism
could live! One would have to move out or die.
17. Can two organisms of the same species occupy similar niches at the same time? Why or why not?
List and explain an example.
Since the niche is similar, the organisms are not sharing resources. Chances are, the
organisms have divided the habitat. For example – you in my chair in science and the
person sitting next to you. The niche (chair) is almost exactly the same, but each of you
have your own space and you do not have to compete for resources. Other examples –
warblers in the tree, barnacles on the rock, hummingbirds and their beak shape.