William Swett
9/14/08
Science
Science HW for 9/14/08
1. A community is a mixture of different populations (different species) living in the same place at the same time, together. So a loss of an important predator would severely affect the community of prey. One of the species in community may grow far past the others, or they all may experience exponential growth and eat all of their resources. After their resources have been eaten, they will be easier targets for disease, and the entire community to will eventually become extinct.
2. A population is a group of one specific species living together, a community is a mixture of different populations (different species) living in the same place at the same time together, and an ecosystem happens when all of the biotic and abiotic factors are together in a certain area.
3. Each organism does a specialized job within an ecosystem, this role is called a niche. A Realized Niche is the role that an organism actually plays in the ecosystem. A Fundamental Niche is the niche the organism might occupy if its competitors were not present. It depends on its competition, abiotic factors, and biotic factors.
4. Basically, Gause proved that the predators need the prey, and vice versa. If the predators totally exterminate the prey, then they will soon die out. If the predators cause the prey population to become too low to sustain the predator population, then they will die. Although the prey population will boom, they will soon die out because they will deplete their natural resources.
5. Depending on how the prey is dispersed affects both populations.
6. Some groups of herbivores, however, have developed strong, grinding teeth and powerful jaws or adaptations of their digestive systems (example from book).
7. A. The bright yellow and black stripes of a bumblebee's body.
B. The colors are Protective Coloration which is a warning color to all other animals.
C. The unobtrusive...