Topic 2.10: Ecological Niches Questions

Distinguish between mutualism and competition in terms of how each species is affected.

Which statement best describes the ecological niche of a species?

Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?

State the carbon source used by all autotrophs to build their organic molecules.

State the name of the only interspecific relationship in which both species are harmed.

Which interspecific relationship harms BOTH species involved?

A fungus grows over a fallen log, secreting enzymes onto the dead wood and absorbing the digested products. Its mode of nutrition is:

A species' fundamental niche is best described as the range of conditions and resources it could use when:

An organism builds all of its organic carbon compounds from carbon dioxide. Which mode of nutrition does this describe?

State the difference between the habitat and the ecological niche of a species.

State the competitive exclusion principle.

State two abiotic factors that characterise a hot desert biome.

Bacteria living in a human gut make vitamins the person can absorb, and in return the bacteria gain a warm, food-rich habitat. Which interspecific relationship is this?

Which of the following is an abiotic factor that forms part of a species' niche?

What does the competitive exclusion principle state?

An owl catches, kills and eats a field mouse. Which interspecific relationship is this, and what is the effect on the mouse?

Outline how a chemoautotroph obtains both its energy and its carbon.

A species can survive between 5 °C and 20 °C but grows poorly outside that band. The 5–20 °C band for this single factor is best called its:

How does the realized niche of a species compare in size with its fundamental niche?

Draw a labelled diagram to show how the realized niche of a species differs from its fundamental niche when a competitor is present. Your diagram should show a resource gradient, the fundamental niche of one species when alone, and its smaller realized niche once a competitor restricts it.