Module 55 — Community Ecology

Unit 8: Ecology | AP Biology | Complete this handout while watching the recorded video lecture.
Name: ____________________________ Period: Date: ____________________
__________

Directions: Watch the video and complete each section in order. Italic text in tables = pre-filled example. Fill in
all blank cells and lines. Pause the video whenever you need more time.

[LG 55.1] PART 1: WHAT IS COMMUNITY ECOLOGY?

A ______________________ is a group of populations of __________________ species living close

enough for potential interaction. Community ecology is the study of _________________________
among all populations in a common environment.

✎ STOP & THINK — IN YOUR OWN WORDS

In 1–2 sentences, explain why simply listing which species live in an area is not enough to
understand a community.

[LG 55.2] PART 2: TYPES OF SPECIES INTERACTIONS

Each interaction is classified by its effect: positive (+), negative (−), or no effect (0). Complete the
table — italic = pre-filled.

WHO
SYMBO
INTERACTION BENEFITS / IS DEFINITION EXAMPLE FROM VIDEO
L
HARMED?
Competition −/− Both species
harmed

Predation One species kills and Lynx & snowshoe hare

consumes another

Herbivory +/−

Parasitism Parasite
benefits; host
harmed
Mutualism +/+ Both species benefit from
 each other

Commensalism Eyelash mites on

humans

Endoparasites live ____________ the host. Ectoparasites live on the __________ of the
Example: ______________________ host.
Example: ______________________

[LG 55.1] PART 3: ECOLOGICAL NICHES & COMPETITION

The Ecological Niche

A species' ecological niche is the total of its use of ________________ and ________________
resources — essentially its ecological ______________.

BARNACLE EXAMPLE (CHTHAMALUS &

NICHE TYPE DEFINITION
BALANUS)
Fundamental Niche The full suite of ______________ Chthamalus can physically live throughout
conditions that allow a species to the entire intertidal zone — set by abiotic
survive & reproduce. factors alone.
Realized Niche Chthamalus is restricted to the
____________ zone due to competition
with Balanus.

Outcomes of Interspecific Competition (−/−)

Three outcomes are possible when species compete. Complete the blank column and add examples
from the video.

OUTCOME WHAT HAPPENS & WHY EXAMPLE FROM VIDEO / NOTES

Competitive Exclusion Two species competing for the exact
same limiting resource cannot coexist
— the weaker competitor is locally
eliminated.
Niche / Resource Seed-size differences evolve
Partitioning
between competing finch species,
reducing resource overlap.

Character
Displacement
 ✎ SHORT ANSWER — CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT (GALAPAGOS FINCHES)
The video shows beak depth data for G. fuliginosa and G. fortis on different islands.

a. On islands where only one species lives (allopatric), beak sizes are ____________. Where both
co-occur (sympatric), beak sizes are ____________.

b. Explain why natural selection favors beak divergence when the two species co-occur:

[LG 55.2] PART 4: PREDATION & PREY DEFENSES

Predator–Prey Population Cycles
Predation can cause predator and prey populations to ____________ up and down over time. As prey
populations __________, predators __________. As predator populations grow, prey __________,
which causes predator populations to __________.
Example from video: ___________________________________

Predator Adaptations vs. Prey Defenses

Complete the prey defense column. Italic cells are pre-filled.

CATEGORY PREDATOR FEEDING ADAPTATION PREY DEFENSIVE ADAPTATION

Morphological / Claws, teeth, fangs, stingers, venom
Physical

Chemical Poison (e.g., bombardier beetle

spray)

Behavioral Stalking, ambush, cooperative Hiding, fleeing, forming herds, alarm

hunting calls
Coloration

Mimicry: Batesian vs. Müllerian

Complete the comparison table. Key question: are both species harmful, or just one?
 FEATURE BATESIAN MIMICRY MÜLLERIAN MIMICRY
Is the mimic actually No — the mimic is harmless (a
harmful/toxic?
pretender)

Is the model actually Yes — both species are unpalatable

harmful/toxic?
("yuck")

How does it protect

the mimic?

Example from video Hawkmoth larva mimics green parrot

snake

✎ SHORT ANSWER — MIMICRY & NATURAL SELECTION

Explain how Batesian mimicry could break down if the mimic became far more common than the
model. Use natural selection in your answer.
Batesian mimicry is frequency-dependent. It works best when mimics are rare relative to models, so
the ratio of "punishing" encounters to "harmless" encounters stays high enough to keep predator
avoidance behavior intact. When that ratio flips, the evolutionary advantage collapses — and the
mimic loses its protection through the very same process of natural selection that built it.

[LG 55.1] PART 5: SPECIES DIVERSITY & COMMUNITY STRUCTURE

Two Components of Species Diversity

Species Richness Relative Abundance (Evenness)

Definition: ________________________ Definition: ________________________

Example: A forest with 20 tree species has A community with equal proportions has
__________ species richness than a forest with __________ evenness.
5.

Simpson's Diversity Index

Diversity Index = 1 − Σ (n / N)²

n = number of individuals of one species | N = total individuals in the community
Index → 1 = highly diverse | Index → 0 = very low diversity
 ✎ PRACTICE CALCULATION — SIMPSON'S DIVERSITY INDEX
Use the data below to calculate the diversity index for each neighbor. Show your work.

WILDFLOWER SPECIES NEIGHBOR 1 (N) NEIGHBOR 2 (N)

Scabland penstemon 20 0
Rocky Mountain bee plant 33 86
Bluebell 16 26
White clover 49 67
Bulbous buttercup 61 46
Woods rose 24 54
Common agrimony 28 21
Canada wood sorrel 19 0
Total (N) 250 300

Neighbor 1 — Work Space: Neighbor 2 — Work Space:

Diversity Index = ______________ Diversity Index = ______________

Analysis: Which neighbor has a more diverse garden? Explain using both species richness and
evenness.

Trophic Structure
____________________ structure refers to feeding relationships between organisms in a community.
A ____________ chain links trophic levels from producers to top carnivores. A ____________ web is a
____________________ food chain with complex trophic interactions.
[LG 55.3] PART 6: KEY SPECIES & INDIRECT EFFECTS IN COMMUNITIES
Why are food chains usually only a few trophic levels long?
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Dominant vs. Keystone Species
These two types of influential species are often confused. Complete the comparison table.

FEATURE DOMINANT SPECIES KEYSTONE SPECIES

 Abundance / Biomass Most abundant OR highest biomass
in the community

How they influence the Through their ecological role or niche

community
— often via predation or other
interactions

What happens if
removed?

Example from video Pisaster ochraceous (sea star) —

rocky intertidal communities

The Sea Star Experiment (Paine) — Fill in the Flow Diagram

Use information from the video to complete each box showing what happened when Pisaster was
removed.

Pisaster (sea star) Species diversity

removed from rocky dropped from ~15–
intertidal zone → → → 20 species to fewer
than 5 species

✎ SHORT ANSWER — KEYSTONE SPECIES & COMMUNITY STABILITY

a. Why is Pisaster a keystone species and not simply a dominant species? Use evidence from the
experiment.

b. Invasive species often lack natural predators in their new environment. Using keystone species
logic, explain why this makes them so ecologically disruptive.

Trophic Cascades
A trophic cascade occurs when a change at one trophic level affects __________________________
at other trophic levels.

Top-Down Cascade Bottom-Up Cascade

 Example: Wolf removal from Yellowstone
Wolves removed → elk population __________ Decrease in ______________ (primary
→ vegetation __________ → plant communities producers) → ______________ populations
__________ decline → ______________ populations also
decline.

[LG 55.4] PART 7: DISTURBANCE & ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION

Disturbance
A disturbance is an event that ____________________ a community, removes organisms, and alters
____________________ availability.
Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis: Moderate levels of disturbance lead to __________________
diversity because they prevent any one species from ____________________ while still allowing
recolonization.

Primary vs. Secondary Succession

FEATURE PRIMARY SUCCESSION SECONDARY SUCCESSION
Starting conditions Bare rock or substrate — no soil
present

Pioneer organisms Hardy plants, grasses, weedy

species that colonize disturbed soil
quickly

Speed Very slow — may take centuries

Example from video Abandoned field; forest recovering

after fire

Stages of Primary Succession — Glacier Retreat Example

Word bank: Dryas stage | Alder stage | Pioneer stage | Spruce stage (Climax Community)
Label each stage using the word bank, then note a key characteristic below each label.

Spruce Stage
Climax community —
→ → → stable & self-
Fireweed dominates; Grasses & shrubs Trees & shrubs; sustaining
soil begins to form establish nitrogen enrichment
 ✎ SHORT ANSWER — SUCCESSION & EARLY VS. LATE ARRIVALS
The video describes three possible relationships between early-arriving and late-arriving species.

WHAT EARLY ARRIVALS DO TO LATE

PROCESS BRIEF EXAMPLE
ARRIVALS
Facilitation Nitrogen-fixing alders enrich
soil, allowing spruce to grow

Inhibition Early arrivals prevent or slow

establishment of later species

Tolerance

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