Problem
I. The word "dominant" gets used in several different ways in ecology, so context is key to understanding its meaning. Explain how a "dominant species" is different from a competitively dominant species.
II. Answer all of these questions (i-iii). (i) Which organism is the keystone species in the rocky intertidal zone? (ii) What affect does the presence of this species have on the rocky intertidal community? (iii) What happened when this species was removed? Be specific.
III. Why has the European Green Crab been so successful in colonizing rocky intertidal areas of the Pacific Northwest? Discuss at least 2 different reasons.
IV. If the European Green Crab population continues to increase, what are the likely long-term consequences to rocky intertidal areas of the Pacific Northwest? Use information from the simulation to provide specific examples of effects on different species, and indicate whether they are a direct effect or an indirect effect. See Exploring Tropic Cascades assignment for a review of direct and indirect effects.