Relationships in Ecology.

By Saskia.

Biological Community.

• All the interacting species living together in one habitat (also known as Biocoenosis).

• Example • A forest of trees that is

home to animals and other smaller plants, and is buried in damp soil that is home to bacteria and fungi.

Intra-specific Competition.

• Competition for resources between members of the same species.

• Example• Adult male lions

competing for mates in the same area as another male.

• Crabs fighting each other for food.

Intra-specific Cooperation.

• When individual organisms of the same species work together to help each other survive.

• Example• A flock of birds or a

school of fish help each other avoid enemies or look for resources.

Competition.

• When organisms that coexist in the same environment compete for resources.

• Example• A human and a

seagull fighting over some chips.

Browsing/Grazing.

• A herbivore constantly eating vegetation.

• Example • A cow wandering

around in a field eating grass.

Predation and Scavenging.

• Predation – Capturing prey.

• Scavenging – Feeding on dead or decaying matter.

• Example • A hyena eats dead or

decaying animals that have been caught by lionsand left behind

Commensalism.

• The relationship between two organisms where one organism is helped, and the other is not helped or harmed.

• Example• A barnacle living on the

bottom of a whale. The barnacle finds a place to live, and the whale is unaffected.

Mutualism

• The relationship between two species, where both the species benefit.

• Example• A hummingbird feeding

on the pollen of a flower. The hummingbird gets food, while the flowers pollen spreads and it is able to reproduce.

Parasitism

• The relationship between two species, where one species benefits, and the other species is affected badly.

• Ecto-parasitism – The parasite lives on the outside of it’s host.

• Endo-parasitism – The parasite lives on the inside of it’s host.

• Example• Ecto – A mosquito sucking

blood from a human.• Endo – A tapeworm living in a

dog’s gut.

Saphrophytism

• An organism that grows on, or gets nutrients from dead and decaying organisms.

• Example• Fungi growing on a forest

floor eating dead leaves and other organic matter.

Antibiosis

• The relationship between two species where the relationship is detrimental to at least one of them.

• Example• A plant produces

chemicals that is hazardous to the plants around it.