BIOL 180 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Keystone Species, Overfishing, Commensalism

• School: UW
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL 180
• Professor: John W Parks

Document Summary

Orange nectar bats and flowering plants o o. Bats benefit by using nectar as a food source. Plants benefit b/c bats carry pollen from one plant to another --> accomplish pollination. Organisms merely behave in a way that maximizes benefits while minimizing costs. Pursue their own self-interest to maximize fitness. Some species therefore cheat on mutualistic systems o. Outcome of interaction depends on current conditions: may range from parasitism --> mutualism --> competition. Natural selection favors the evolution of traits that decrease competition, resulting in changes in species" niches over time. Consumers may reduce the population size of the species they feed on: often exert strong natural selection for effective defense mechanisms. Mutualism benefits both the species involved o. Coevolution is a major driver of evolutionary change. Both species in the interaction receives a fitness benefit o. What is the nature of the fungal-plant mutualism mentioned in the text? o.