Community Interactions

Competition

The two

flowering

plants are

competing

for the

same space

Which

means both

of them are

harmed.

CompetitionCompetition is when two organisms use the

same space and resources at the same time.

Competition can occur between organisms of the same species or different species

Competitive Exclusion Principle – No two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time.

Kudzu Competition• Kudzu was introduced to the

• United States in 1876 at the• Centennial Exposition in • Philadelphia, PA.

It “outcompetes” other

native plants so they don’t

have a place to grow.

Competition – introduced species

The Eastern Bluebird is being forced

into smaller numbers by the House

Sparrow, an introduced species.

Mutualism – clownfish and anemone

The clownfish gets protection from the anemone and in

return protects the anemone from fish that would eat it

(angelfish); the clownfish also keeps the anemone free of

dirt and debris.

Mutualism

Mutualism is a relationship between two organisms where both of them benefit from the relationship.

This can involve providing food, protection, a place to live or even pollination.

Mutualism - Lichens

Lichens consist of a

fungus with an algae

or photosynthetic

bacterium living

inside the fungus.

The alga provides

food for both of them

and the fungus

provides a habitat for

the alga.

Mutualism – cleaner shrimpThese shrimp set uplarge cleaning stationson the reef where fishwill come to haveparasites picked fromtheir skin. The shrimpgets a constant foodsource and the fish (eelin this case) gets rid ofpotentially dangerousparasites

Cleaner Shrimp on a Grouper

Mutualism – Ant and Aphid

The Aphid and the Ant• Aphids feed on the sap of the plant they are on. • Ants use their antennae to stimulate the aphids and

cause them to excrete from their abdomen a substance called honeydew which is rich in the nutrients ants require.

• Each worker ant goes from aphid to aphid collecting honeydew which she stores in her abdomen until it's full; then, she returns to the nest and regurgitates to feed other members of the colony.

• Ants, in return for the honeydew, protect the aphids from predators such as flies, wasps, and beetles.

• The ants, like human ranchers, sometimes move their aphids to richer grazing grounds.

• YUMMY!

Mutualism – sea slug with algae

The algae

lives in the

sea slug

and makes

food for

both of

them – in

return it

gets a place

to live.

Nitrogen fixing nodules

Bacteria in the nodules can take nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and turn it into a form that can be used by the plant; in return, the plant protects the bacteria from harmful oxygen and the bacteria get food from the plant.

Mutualism - pollinationMany plants depend on

pollinators for their

reproduction. They

provide nectar to attract

these pollinators. So

the pollinator gets fed

and the plant gets

reproduced!

Another Pollinator – note pollen on back legs

Protozoans in cow’s stomachThese protozoans along withbacteria help the cow by digesting cellulose; cows don’t have the enzymes to

do this.

The protozoans and bacteria get a place to live and a continual food source. This is a valuable mutualistic relationship.

Ants and Acacia TreesAcacia trees are found in Central America. Ants hollow out the large thorns of the plant for nests and feed on sweet secretions from the base of each leaf and on the protein rich substance found on the tips of the leaves, The ants in return protect the trees from herbivores that would eat the leaves. With a movement of the branch, ants emerge and release a nasty odor and attack the herbivore.

The ants, againWhen an

experiment

was done

and the ants

were

poisoned, the

acacia trees

died from

being

overtaken

by other

plants and

herbivores.

OxPecker - MutualismThe

oxpecker

eats

parasites

on the

mammal –

food for

the bird

and

removal of

danger

for the

mammal

More Ox peckers(sometimes they are not on an ox..)

Another ox(?)pecker

Caterpillar Ant Mutualism

Cattle Egret - Commensalism

The cattle stir

up

grasshoppers

and other

insects that the

egret likes to

eat. There is

no apparent

benefit to the

cow.

Commensalism

Commensalism is a relationship where one organism benefits and other is neither harmed nor benefited.

Few examples of commensalism exist because of the difficulty of showing that one of the organisms is not affected by the other. Some of the former cmomensalistic relationships may turn out to be mutualism or parasitism.

Commensalism – shark and remoraThe remora

benefits by

getting food

from the

shark’s meal.

But there is no

apparent

benefit to the

shark.

Remora without its shark

Note the sucker on the head of the remora (or suckerfish)

Commensalism – whale and barnacle

•

The barnacle larvae swim around, attach to the whale, and form the adult. This habitat is a good one for providing food. The whale does not “appear” to be harmed.

Commensalism – limpets on mussel shell

ParasitismAdult wasps insert their eggs beneath the skin of the hornworm larva. The eggs hatch and the young feed hornworm until they pupate as shown in the photo. Although the parasite is harmful to the worm,it is important in controlling hornworms in agriculture.

Parasitism

Parasitism is a relationship where one individual benefits and the other is harmed. Parasites rarely kill their hosts because to do so would ultimately harm the parasite!

A tick!

Brood Parasitism - CowbirdsCowbird females lay their eggs (one per nest) in the nests of other species. The hatchling cowbird is big and gets most of the food.

This is because the foster birds tend to feed the largest mouth. The cowbird benefits and the other species is harmed.

Mistletoe – a plant parasiteMistletoe lives off the branches and stems of Other trees. It can photo- synthesize a little but not enough to meet its needs. The tree can be very harmed.

Heartworms!The worm larvae are transferred from dog to dog through the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquito sucks larval heartworms with blood from an infected dog. The mosquito then bites another dog and transfers these microscopic larva as it bites. During the next few months, these larva migrate through the dogs body arriving at the heart several months later where they becomeadults.

Predator prey

In this Predator-Prey relationship, the spider is eating an insect that it has trapped.

/

Predator-Prey

In a predator-prey relationship one organism benefits and the other is killed.

Web Resourceshttp://elementy.ru/images/eltbook/competitive_exclusion_principle_520.jpg

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2005/nice-kudzu.jpg

http://www.yahoolavista.com/kudzu/&h=288&w=432&sz=35&hl=en&start=11&tbnid=tp85kKj4SEtsvM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkudzu%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

http://my.core.com/~paper-images/Eastern_Bluebird022v.jpg

http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/images/Sparrow_House_Dabb.jpg

http://www.bigfishhooked.com/clown_fish_and_anenome.jpg

http://www.biologyreference.com/images/biol_04_img0432.jpg

http://www.richsoil.com/antsandaphids/ants_aphids_sugar.jpg

http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/new_species/melibe_digitata.html

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/pests/179.jpg

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/help/digitalflowers/picts/Asteraceae/15-Liatris%20pollination.jpg

http://z.about.com/f/wiki/e/en/thumb/3/39/Plumpollen0060.jpg/300px-Plumpollen0060.jpg

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zac0278.jpg

http://www.agrotours.com/bio/cr13.jpg

http://pbskids.org/backyardjungle/files.php/2938_discovery_f.jpg

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Chuck/uploads/Copy%20of%20YellowBilledOxPecker-1.jpg

http://www.wildlifesafari.info/images/birds/oxpecker_yellow-billed.jpg

More Web Resourceshttp://www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/image-files/impala_knp-9113_blog.jpg

http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/animals/video/ant_caterpillarsymbiosis.html

http://mishami.image.pbase.com/u43/jypsee/upload/27771434.anguswithegret.jpg

http://www.scubaduba.com/gallery/shark2.jpg

http://www.cincinnatidiving.com/Gallery/images/Shearwater/remora.jpg

http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/whales/humptail.jpg

http://entweb.clemson.edu/cuentres/cesheets/benefici/ce174.htm

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/birds/ohio_birds/images/chipping_sparrow_chick_cowbird-40.jpg

http://www.wcosf.org/other_photos/Mistletoe_1_600.JPG

http://www.greatlakesbcrescue.org/HealthNTraining/heartworms.JPG

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flashmaggie/50552812