big idea 4

20-R-strategist is the strategy of having many offspring while living for a shorter time. R-strategists also do not look after their young. The northern Pacific Rattlesnake lays a bunch of eggs and then slithers off so they hatch on their own. They lay a large amount of eggs so they have a lot of  offspring.  

19- Predation is the act of preying on animals in a lower class of the food chain to get food. The Lion often kills his prey with his large claws and strong jaws. These adaptions make him a better predator.  

18- Population  is the total amount of same organism that live in the same environment.  These organisms all have the capability of breeding. The Sea Gulls that are in the American River often reproduce with members of their own flock.

13- A niche is a special adaption that allows an animal to better survive in his environment. Niche is important because it allows a species to gain an advantage and better be able to survive. The Iguanas niche is they are able to have a steady diet of mature leaves while other animals can't digest the leaves because of  the cellulose in the cell wall.   

11- A k-strategist is the strategy of producing only a small number of offspring but using all of your energy to take care of them. The advantage of this is they live longer however they do produce fewer offspring. The Chimpanzee only produces a couple of offspring in her lifetime but many of them reproduce because of the care from their parents.

10 - A keystone species is a a species that has a larger effect on the environment then most animals would usually have. This is important because the environment heavily depends on this species.. The jaguar is a keystone species because it has no predators to attack it. The jaguar has exceptional speed so it captures the majority of all animals. 

9- An introduced species is a non native species that was was brought by human interaction. These species often have a evolutionary advantage because other species haven't had time to adapt to them. The python has caused a lot of trouble because people often have them as pets and then release them into the wilderness. The pythons then use their evolutionary advantages to take over their new environment. 

8- Endosperm is the tissue that surrounds the seed. The tissue helps to protect the seed by providing a buffer against other objects. The endosperm of the tall grass released at same time and got trapped in a near by plant. If the some of the endosperm can make it too a fertile area it can then possibly create a new tall grass plant. 

7- A Detritovore is a type that consumes dead organisms. Detritovores are very good for ecosystem because the help digest dead animals that would otherwise just rout and no organism would adsorb the energy. The King Vulture feasts off dead animals recycling the energy. The King Vulture is particularly good for an ecosystem because it can eat a large amount of debris.

6- Competition is the contest between animals over resources in the same environment. The animals fight over food, water and other objects needed for survival. The Azure-Winged Magpie and the Himalayan Monal pheasant  have no competition over their resources. They get along together very well and share their resources.