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Biology Questions on "The Creation of Ecosystems" 9.18.15 Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper (in your own words, of course). *Note: Being as this assignment is worth the usual 100 points but is only 6 questions in length, a reasonable student should conclude that Mr. Mason is looking for some detailed answers here - something longer than a sentence per question that includes examples and references to the information included in the article. That reasonable student would be correct. 1. What two factors affect community organization (what species are found in a suitable habitat)? (Note: the answer has nothing to do with "perfect order and total disorder", though that seems to be a common incorrect answer to this question.) 2. Define a keystone species in your own words. What happens (at least three possibilities) to the species composition of a community if you remove the keystone species? 3. Why can new species often invade a habitat after a keystone species is removed? 4. Why are sea otters considered "The most potent keystone species known in the world…"? Explain with examples from the reading. 5. How do the large herbivores of Africa's savannas and dry woodlands enrich biodiversity, even though it seems that they’re destroying a lot of life as they tromp through the forest? 6. We often think of keystone species as those that benefit nearly every other species found in an ecosystem. Driver ants are a bit different, though. Explain the claim made in the article that a colony of driver ants could be considered a keystone species. THESAURUS compose: are part of obtain: consist of this economical: easy; simple discipline: branch of science address: try to answer or solve it consequently: therefore coincide: match up symbioses: working together for a common good envision: see unprecedented: not seen before abundance: lots of them invariably: will happen potent: strong effect languorously: relaxed veritable: very close to the real thing waxed: grew in size or number waned: shrunk in size or number luxuriance: full and thick breaks: small areas without full growth dismayingly: sadly tenfold: ten times reverberates: small, rapid back and forth swings herbivores: plant eaters physiognomy: physical structure mosaic: patches evasion: escape from copse: clump of trees pseudopodium: the part of an Amoebae that reaches out for food legions: groups of soldiers scythe: cut away