Ecosystem Roles

Ecologists describe the role that a species plays in an ecosystem as its

• adaptation

• niche

• habitat

• species function

The place, or type of ecosystem, in which a species lives and obtains what it needs to survive.

• habitat

• niche

• biome

• environment

The _______ has a broad niche, can

live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and often tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.

• specialist

• generalist

• endemic species

• indicator species

the ________ species occupies a narrow niche, may be able to live in only one type of habitat, eat only one or a few types of food, or tolerate a narrow range of environmental conditions.

• specialist

• generalist

• endemic

• keystone

_____ species are those that naturally originated

in a given ecosystem and have become suited to the

environmental conditions there.

• endemic

• invasive

• keystone

• specialist

_______ species are those that are introduced to an ecosystem.

• endemic

• indicator

• resistant

• non-native

________ species is an organism that plays

a uniquely important role in the way an ecosystem functions.

• native

• keystone

• invasive

• indicator

________ species as those whose presence or absence indicates the quality or characteristics of certain environmental conditions

• invasive

• indicator

• endemic

• keystone

All nonnative species threaten ecosystems.

• true

• false

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Generalist species are more prone to extinction than specialist species when environmental changes occur rapidly.

• true

• false

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-5