Big Idea 4

4. Climax Community: A climax community is a biological community that, through the processes of succession, has reached a steady state. The area pictured has not had a disaster to disturb the process of succession and has been able to reach a stable state.

6. Competition: Competition is the struggle between two organisms for resources. Here the tree the root belongs to and the grass are competing for water.

7. Detritovore: Detritovores are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus and thus contributes to decomposition and the nutrient cycle. The earthworm is a detritovore because it eats and breaks down decomposing waste.

8. Endosperm: Endosperm is the tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch. The acorn is a seed that contains endosperm.

9. Introduced Species: An introduced species is one that is not native to a land and was brought there by humans. Palm trees are not native to the Sacramento area but have been planted here from other places.

11. K-strategist: A K-strategist is an organism that is large, live a long time, invest a great deal of energy in reproduction, and has few offspring. A dog is a K-strategist because it meets these qualification and because it is a mammal and most mammals are K-strategists

12. Mutualism: Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both species involved benefit. Sea anemone and clown fish are mutualistic partners in nature because the clown fish keep away anemone predators and anemone keep away clown fish predators.

14. Parasitism: Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of another, the host. This mosquito bite is an example of parasitism because the mosquito takes blood from the host and does nothing to benefit the host.

15. Succession: Succession is the series of changes in an ecological community that occur over time after a natural or man-made disaster. The land in this picture recently caught on fire(not including the trees in the background) now weeds are sprouting up, the fist step in succession.

20. r-stategist: r-strategist are small, have a short generation time, invest little energy in reproduction, and have vast amounts of offspring. This mouse is a r-strategist because it meets these qualifications.