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Symbiotic Relationships. Who gets along? Who doesn’t? Who hurts who?. Species Interactions. 5 basic types of interactions of species within an ecosystem. Interspecific competition – When members of two or more species interact to gain access to the same limited resources.
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Symbiotic Relationships Who gets along? Who doesn’t? Who hurts who?
Species Interactions 5 basic types of interactions of species within an ecosystem. • Interspecific competition – When members of two or more species interact to gain access to the same limited resources. • ie: food, light, space • Predation– when a member or group of members of one species feeds directly on another species. • Usually animal to animal • Rare cases of plants to animal • Parasitism– when one species feeds on/in the body of another species and harms it. • Mutualism – interaction of two species when both benefit from the interaction. • Commensalism – interaction of two species when only one benefits from the interaction and the other is not harmed or benefited.
Species Interactions • Interactions have a significant effect on the resources used and the population of different species within the ecosystem. • b/c of these interactions the ability to reproduce and or survive is influenced. • Natural selection takes place through interactions. • The most common interaction is competition. • For limited resources • Requires one species to have the ability to be more efficient than another when finding and utilizing resources like food and shelter. • The role species play in an ecosystem is considered their ecological niche. (ie: the job they have, how they act towards their environment, what they do in their environment) • When species compete for food, shelter, light; their niches overlap. The more overlap the more intense the competition.
Species Interactions • Predation (predatory-prey interaction): • Most consumer species feed off of other consumer species. • Herbivores – feed off of plants and other producer type species. • Omnivores – feed on plants and other living consumers. • Carnivore – feed on other living consumers only • To survive predators must eat other prey, without they would die and the evolution of the species can be stunted.
Species Interactions Predator/Prey cont. • Predators – a closer look… • Methods used to capture prey: • Herbivores – simply walk, swim or fly to the plant when needing to eat. • Carnivores/Omnivores – have moving prey so there are a few main types of capture to eat. • 1. Pursuit – run, chase prey until they wear them out or catch up to capture and eat. • Usually a single predator after a single prey. • 2. Ambush – When one or more predators lay in wait or similar techniques to capture and eat prey • Hunting is an organized way to ambush prey, seen from lions, wolves, humans, pack type organisms. • Camouflage – The predator disguises them selves to ambush the prey. • 3. Chemical Warfare – Predators use venom or poison to attack prey • Venomous snakes and spiders spit on or bite a prey organism and wait for them to immobilize before eating them.
Species Interactions Prey – A closer look… • Evolved/Adapted to avoid predators: • Being able to move fast, quick reflexes • Highly developed sense of sight, smell or hearing • Avoidance adaptations like shells (turtles), thick bark (giant sequoia), spines (porcupines), and thorns (rose bushes, cacti) • Camouflage – being able to blend into their environment so as not to be easily seen. (the moth, chameleons, cuttlefish) • Chemical Warfare – discourage predators to eat them • by having a Warning Coloration… bright colored markings like red, orange, yellow, blue; all with usually black markings. (some frogs, snakes, salamanders) • This lets the predator know that they are poisonous or taste bad and should not be eaten. (oleander, monarch butterfly) • Foul smelling, gives off a nasty odor when startled or caught (skunks, skunk cabbage, stinkbugs) • Irritating – gives off a chemical or needles that irritate the predator. (bombardier beetle, stinging nettles) • Mimicry – acting like or looking like an organism that is poisonous so as not to be eaten (viceroy butterfly looks like the monarch) • Living in large groups so as to not to be the one most likely eaten (schools of fish – tuna; Zebras) • Usually the one captured and eaten are the sick, old or young of the group.
Symbiosis Three types of Symbiotic relationships between organisms: • Mutualism – both organisms benefit from the interaction. • Commensalism – One organism benefits, the other organism is not harmed or benefits from the interaction. • Parasitism – One organism benefits, the other organism is harmed, but may not always die during the interaction.
