Biological Diversity, Unit A

Learner Outcomes
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I can investigate and interpret dependencies among species that link the survival of one species to the survival of others
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I can identify examples of niches, and describe the role of variation in enabling closely related living things to survive in the same ecosystem

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Niche is the role of an organism within a particular ecosystem.

1. What it eats.
2. Its habitat.
3. Nesting site, range and habits.
4. What effect it has on the other populations.
5. What effect it has on the environment.
Describe your niche to someone beside you.

If you were to describe your own niche…
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1. Where you live.
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2. What school you attend.
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3. Jobs you work at?
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4. Food you consume.
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5. Temperature you feel comfortable in.
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6. Influences you have on your community.

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Describe the different types of interdependencies between and among species.
Interdependence – ongoing relationship between organisms -

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“sym” means together & “bios” means life.
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Symbiosis is an association between members of different species.
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There are several types of symbiosis.

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Does an organism benefit from the relationship, or is it harmed.

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One benefits, other does not benefit or is harmed.

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Both benefit.

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One benefits, other is harmed.

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Two or more species need the same resource.
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What are some examples that include humans?

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For the same resource (e.g. food), there is less of it for each species.
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Within each population, each member has access to a smaller share.
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Which leads to more deaths due to starvation.

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Limits the size of the populations of competing species.
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How can so many species exist together in the same location? The answer lies in the niches they occupy.

Some examples
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Barnacles adhering to the skin of a whale or shell of a mollusk
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Sea anemone and clownfish
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Cattle Egrets and Cows

Some examples
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Hummingbirds and flowers
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Bull Horn Acacia and ants
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Lichen on a mangrove tree

Some examples
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Head louse on human
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Mosquito on animal
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Tapeworms

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Species that live within a common place and use the same resources. Mutual benefit .

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… is the action which enables competing species to share the resources by accessing these resources in different ways, involving less direct competition.
Three species of
Warbler species feed on spruce bud worms in different parts of a tree.

Sample Multiple Choice Question
When similar species coexist in an area, they have slightly different niches. They do not compete for resources, instead they divide the resources between them.
This type of arrangement described above is called
Q1 a.
b.
c.
d.
Natural selection
Artificial selection
Resource partitioning
Specialization

Sample Multiple Choice Question
Epiphytes are plants that grow on sturdier plants.
They do not take nourishment from their host and simply benefit from being exposed to sunlight. An orchid is an example of an epiphyte.
Q2 a.
The association of an orchid and a mesophytic plant is an example of
Mutualism b.
c.
d.
Commensalism
Parasitism
Saprophytism

Sample Multiple Choice Question
During the caterpillar stage of development, monarch butterflies eat poisonous milkweed leaves. As they become adult butterflies, the poison is deposited in the brilliantly coulered black and orange butterfly wings.
The adaptive value of the
Q3 monarch ’ s colour pattern is necessary in order to a.
Warn predators so they do not try to eat the monarchs
Q4
Through the viceroy butterfly has no poison in its wings, the colour pattern on its wings is similar to that of the monarch ’ s.
Such and adaptation is known as b.
c.
d.
Help the monarch find a mate
Help the monarchs to organize themselves into flocks
Camouflage the monarch amongst colorful flowers.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Specialization
Selective breeding
Mutualism
Mimicry

Sample Multiple Choice Question
As a bee pollinates clusia flowers, it is covered with a sticky resin that contains a powerful antibiotic. This antibiotic kills bee bacteria in the bee hive.
The association of a a bee and a clusia is an example of
Q5 a.
b.
c.
d.
Parasitism
Commensalism
Mutualism
Heterotrophism

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Answers to Sample Multiple
Choice Questions
A
D
C
C
B

... investigate and interpret dependencies among species that link the survival of one species to the survival of others?
... identify examples of niches, and describe the role of variation in enabling closely related living things to survive in the same ecosystem?

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Page 19, 1-5
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Due, Monday, September 26!