Niche, Competion & Predator / Prey Review
Niche, Competion & Predator / Prey Review - H Name ______
7th Grade Environmental Science
Mrs. Krempa Date & Period ______
Answer the following questions without consulting your notes! This is great practice for the quiz!!
1. The ability to survive and reproduce under changing environmental conditions.
Tolerance
2. When two species divide the resources they use in common
Resource partitioning
3. Give an example of #2. Anolis lizard, warblers, barnacles
4. What effect does a keystone predator have on its environment?
A keystone predator increases the diversity of its niche by controlling the population of it’s prey. By eating other animals, the predator keeps prey populations low, which allows for more room and other species to move into empty niches. The Otter in your book…
5. Give two examples of a species that is the prey of another species. __ rabbit, mouse, bird.______
– anything that is a good “no brainer” example of something that gets eaten!!
6. Give two examples of a predator. ______lion, tiger, bear (Oh my…!) ______
– anything that is a good “no brainer” example of something that eats another!!
7. Explain why predators and their prey have similar population cycles. Which population “leads” they
cycle?
Prey “leads” the predator / prey cycle. Without prey, there would be no predators as there would be nothing to eat. The cycles are similar, because an increase / crease in either population directly affects the other.
8. Define competition. when organisms fight for the same limited resource
9. Competition between different species is called? Interspecific Competition
10. Give an example of #9. Male Lions for pride, two dogs for a bone
11. Competition between same species is called? Intraspecific Competition
12. Give an example of #11. Dog and cat for food, cheetah and lion for zebra
13. List all of the resources an organisms needs to survive. food, water & shelter
14. Define Niche. An organism’s use of resources and its functional role in a community.
15. In your own words, what does a niche mean? My words? your personal space, materials, climate, and resources… AND what you do with everything! Taken from your hand written notes…
16. A ______fundamental _____ niche is the theoretical niche, the niche that an organism could occupy.
17. What is the niche in which an organism actually lives called? ______Realized Niche ______
18. List the four things that characterize a predator. __ Top of food chain – are rarely hunted or eaten __
____ Can be herbivore (depends on definition)______
____ Help keep prey populations in check ______
_____Maintain diversity in the ecosystem______
15. Can an herbivore be a predator? Why or why not!
An herbivore can be a predator! A cow kills and eats grass, grass is a living thing – so by
definition a cow is a predator! (If the definition does NOT include the word “hunt”)
16. Can more than one organism occupy the same niche at the same time? Why or why not?
Two organisms can’t occupy the same niche at the same time. The two organisms would
be in direct competition for food, water, and shelter. One organism would have to move out or die.
17. What is the idea of competitive exclusion? Define and explain with an example.
Competitive exclusion is when one species completely excludes another species from any/all resource use due to direct competition for the same niche. One species tries to occupy the same niche as another and one of the species is pushed out because they can’t compete. The barnacles in our worksheet is a good example – when the large barnacle was removed, the small barnacles were able to spread all over the rock. Up until that point, the small barnacles were experiencing competitive exclusion. Zebra mussel is another good example – and in your text!