7.1.1 Communities

• An ecological community is defined as the group of different species that live and interact within the same habitat
• Match the type of species with its description:

  Dominant species ↔️ Highest biomass or number and significant influence

  Keystone species ↔️ Critical role in maintaining stability
• What does biodiversity refer to in an ecological community?

  Variety of living species
• Intraspecific interactions occur between different species within a community.

  False
• The total number of different species in a community is called species richness
• What role do keystone species play in an ecological community?

  Maintain stability and balance
• Predation is a biotic factor that controls prey populations.


  True
• High biodiversity enhances ecosystem stability
• How does biodiversity enhance productivity in an ecosystem?

  Maximizes resource use
• Mutualism is an interaction where both species benefit.


  True
• In commensalism, one species benefits while the other is unaffected
• What principle states that two species cannot coexist indefinitely if they utilize the exact same resources?

  Competitive exclusion principle
• What is the gradual change in the composition and structure of an ecological community over time called?

  Succession
• What type of species colonizes a bare rock surface during primary succession?

  Pioneer species
• The starting point of primary succession is a bare, uninhabited area.


  True
• Species richness refers to the total number of different species present in a community.


  True
• Competition between species is a type of biotic
• Order the following interspecific interactions from most beneficial to least beneficial for one species:

  1️⃣ Mutualism

  2️⃣ Commensalism

  3️⃣ Parasitism
• What determines the structure and function of ecological communities?

  Key characteristics
• Dominant species have the highest biomass or number in a community and exert significant influence.


  True
• Competition is a biotic factor where species compete for resources
• Why is water availability an essential abiotic factor in ecological communities?

  Survival
• Diverse ecosystems recover faster from disturbances like fires or floods.


  True
• Interspecific interactions occur between different species within a community.
• What is an example of predation in an ecological community?

  Wolves hunt rabbits
• Competition and coexistence are fundamental processes shaping ecological communities.


  True
• Resource partitioning allows species to coexist by dividing resources based on different niches
• Primary succession begins on a new, previously uninhabited area.


  True
• Secondary succession occurs after a disturbance that removes the existing community
• What is the final stage of succession called?

  Climax community