BIO SCI 94 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Primary Succession, Convergent Evolution, Keystone Species

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIO SCI 94
• Professor: Robin Bush

Document Summary

A biological community consists of the species that interact with one another within a particular area. Community ecologists study the nature and consequences of the interactions among species in a community. Four general types of interactions among species. These interactions affect the distribution and abundance of the species. Species thus act as agents of natural selection on other species. Relationships are dynamic, changing over time and space. Commensalism -occurs when on species benefits but the other species is unaffected (+/0) Competition -occurs when individuals use the same resources - resulting in lower fitness for both (-/-) Niche: the range of resources that the species can use and the range of conditions it can tolerate. More broadly, the role that species plays in its ecosystems. Ecological niche - what it does, what it eats, who eats it, where it lives, how much of resources it uses, how much and type of waste it produces, etc.