Organization of the Environment Vocabulary

Sponge Describe the difference between a community and a population.

Organism-a living thing that can live on its own. Population-a group of individuals of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time. Community-all of the populations of different species that live and interact in an area.

Ecosystem-made up of a community of organisms and its abiotic environment. Biosphere-part of the earth where Life exists.

Herbivore-A consumer that eats plants. Carnivore-A consumer that eats animals. Omnivore-Eat a variety of organisms, both plants and animals. Scavengers- Animals that feed on the bodies of dead animals.

Vocabulary Symbiosis-A close, long-term association between two Or more species. Mutualism- A symbiotic relationship in which both Organisms benefit. A flower gets its pollen passed from one individual to another. In turn the flower provides a food reward in the form of nectar (a sugar rich solution), or pollen as a solid food source. If the food reward is large enough, the pollinator is likely to go looking for flowers of the same plant species after it is done visiting the flowers of the first individual.

Higher plants have evolved a mutualistic relationship to disperse their seeds. The berries or fruits are eaten by birds or mammals. They pass through the digestive system. However, the seeds contained within the fruit are resistant to the animal's digestive system. Therefore, they are (there is no polite way to say this) pooped by the bird or mammal some hours after the animal has moved away from the mother plant. The birds and mammals derive a food benefit by eating the berries and fruits. The plant, in turn, disperses it seeds.

Commensalisms- A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected. The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) forages in pastures and fields among livestock such as cattle and horses, feeding on the insects stirred up by the movement of the grazing animals. The egrets benefit from the arrangement, but the livestock, generally, do not. However as in most cases of commensalism, there is a "but". Cattle Egrets have been observed perching on the top of cattle picking off ticks, lending a slight tinge of mutualism to the arrangement. Cattle Egrets are originally from Africa where they were adapted to following the large herds of herbivores as they moved across the savannah. They first appeared in South America in the 19th century and have since spread to the eastern United States and California. The Cattle Egret breeds in colonies near water (as almost all herons do), but feeds almost exclusively with herds of cows and horses.

The remora feeds off scraps of food left from The shark. The shark is unaffected.

Parasitism- A symbiotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed. Ticks are members of the class Arachnida, which includes spiders, scorpions, daddy longlegs, and mites. All ticks are carnivorous, feeding on the blood of various species of birds, reptiles, and mammals, including human beings. Ticks use their mouthparts to anchor themselves to the skin, where they cut a small hole and suck the blood. A number of tick species transmit diseases infecting livestock, pets, and humans. Oxford Scientific Films/London Scientific Films

This light micrograph reveals adult intestinal Schistosoma mansoni, one of the species of blood flukes that cause the disease known as schistosomiasis. The males are thick and blue; the females are thin and clear. A type of flatworm, while in larval form blood flukes enter the bloodstreams of people or animals exposed to contaminated water in tropical and subtropical climates, and then lay their eggs inside the host’s body. The disease’s symptoms, which include diarrhea, inflammation, and hemorrhage, vary in humans depending on the species of fluke and what part of the body it infests. The disease may be fatal if untreated. Photo Researchers, Inc./Sinclair Stammers