Occasionally american alligators are sighted in rivers or lakes in new york city, far north of their usual range. these alligators are usually escaped pets. there is no self-sustaining population of alligators in new york, and they have no important influence on other populations there. is the american alligator a member of the ecological community in new york?

No

Explanation:

The american alligator are sighted in rivers and lakes and they are not native species as they do not live in New York City.

They are usually the pets that escaped from the owner and reached the lakes and river anyhow. They cannot sustain their life based on the number of individual that come to the lakes and rivers.

They do not affect the other species nearby them and because of these reasons they cannot be considered as ecological community.

that would be called plucking : )

explanation:

''plucking, also referred to as quarrying, is a glacial phenomenon that is responsible for the erosion and transportation of individual pieces of bedrock, especially large "joint blocks". as a glacier moves down a valley, friction causes the basal ice of the glacier to melt and infiltrate joints (cracks) in the bedrock."