Ecology: Interspecific Relationships · (interspeciﬁc relationships) Thursday, April 25, 2013. Predator-Prey • One organism (predator) kills and eats another organism (prey).

Ecology:Interspecific Relationships

Thursday, April 25, 2013

• Assignment 3: Friday, 5/3

• Make-Up Lab: Friday, 5/3

• Final Exam: Tuesday, 5/7, 11:00 - 1:00


Ecology

• Study of the structure, function and behavior of the environment.

• Population - all individuals of the same species living in the same place

• Community - all living organisms in the same area

• Ecosystem - all living and non-living components of a particular area


Energy Flow (One Way)

Producer ConsumerSunlight

Decomposer

Detritus

Heat Heat

Heat

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Biomass Biomass

BiomassThursday, April 25, 2013

Nutrient Cycle

Producer ConsumerAbiotic

Decomposer

Detritus

C, H, O, P, N


Biodiversity

• Refers to the variety of life

• Includes:

• Species richness - number of species

• Species diversity - measure of number and relative abundance of species


Biodiversity

Ecosystem I

Species A = 33Species B = 33Species C = 34

Ecosystem II

Species A = 90Species B = 5Species C = 5

Species Richness = 3 Species Richness = 3

Higher Diversity Lower Diversity


Niche

• Role each species plays in its ecosystem

• Habitat - area where it lives

• Interactions with other organisms (interspecific relationships)


Predator-Prey

• One organism (predator) kills and eats another organism (prey).

• Predator larger (usually)• Predator benefits, prey harmed


Animal eats Animal

• Frog eating insect• Snake eating bird egg• Lynx and snowshoe hare - figure in text


Predatory Plants• these photosynthesize to make food

but need to get N and P from insects since it is low in areas they live

• Venus Fly Trap• Pitcher Plant


Parasite-Host• One organism (parasite) lives in or on

another (host) and feeds off host.• Parasite usually smaller • Parasite benefits, host harmed.


Endoparasite

•Parasite inside host•e.g. Heartworms on Dog (see figure in text)


Ectoparasite

•External•e.g. Fleas on Dog


Dodder parasite on plant leaves


Squawrootparasite on tree root


Herbivory• Herbivore eats producer.• Herbivore benefits, plant harmed.


Mutualism• Both species benefit.

e.g. PollinationButterfly and

Flower


Lichens

•Mutualism between Green Algae and Cup Fungus•Algae makes food by photosynthesis•Fungus absorbs water and nutrients from substrate


Root Nodules

•Mutualism between plant root of legumes and blue-green bacteria•Roots provides bacteria with food (made in leaves in transported to root)•Blue-green bacteria perform nitrogen fixation to provide root with ammonia and nitrate


Leaf-Cutting Ant/Fungus

•Mutualism •Ants deliver food to fungus•Fungus digests leaves for ant to eat


Commensalism

• One species benefits, other unaffected.

• Plants such as orchids and bromeliads live in branches of large trees to be nearer to sunlight, tree unaffected

• Clownfish hides in tentacles of sea anemone for protection against predators, anemone unaffected.


Competition• Two or more species use the same resource.• Both harmed if resource is limited.

• Dandelions and grass on lawn


Competitive Exclusion Principle

• No 2 species can indefinitely occupy the same niche at the same time

• Leads to resource partitioning - different species use different parts of resources

• e.g. 5 species of warblers (birds) live in different parts of tree (fig. in text.)

• e.g. 2 species of barnacles live at different heights on sea edge. (fig. in text.)


Activity 18

• Determine the relationship


The End


Ecology: Interspecific Relationships · (interspeciﬁc relationships) Thursday, April 25, 2013. Predator-Prey • One organism (predator) kills and eats another organism (prey).

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