1.  Competition, Predation, Symbiosis, Mutualism, Commensalism, or Parasitism

2. Population – group of individuals of the same species
living in the same area, potentially interacting
Community – group of populations of different species
living in the same area, potentially interacting
What are some ecological interactions?

4. Why are ecological interactions important?
Interactions can affect distribution and abundance.
Interactions can influence evolution.
Think about how the following interactions can affect
distribution, abundance, and evolution.

5. Symbiosis – two species live together  can include
parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism

6. Commensalism
Commensalism is a relationship between two living organisms where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

7. Commensalism – one species receives a benefit from
another species  enhances fitness of one species; no
effect on fitness of the other species

8. The clownfish lives among the forest of tentacles of an anemone and is protected from potential predators.

9. Some birds live among cattle to eat the insects stirred up as they walk. One example are egrets who hunt for insects near a grazing animal's mouth.

10. One animal attaching itself to another for transportation such as barnacles attach to shells or whales or a shrimp riding on a sea slugs.
shrimp riding on a sea slug
barnacles on whale’s tail and clam

11. One species uses a second organism for housing such as small mammals or birds that lives in holes in trees or orchids which live in trees.
Orchid in rainforest Venezuela

12. Parasitism
One organism, usually physically smaller of the two (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is harmed

13. Parasitism – one species feeds on another  enhances
fitness of parasite but reduces fitness of host

14. Ticks and fleas that live in a host animal's fur bite the animal and drink its blood are parasites.

15. Insects such as mosquitoes feeding on a host are parasites.

16. Vines such as Kudzu growing on Trees

17. Tomato Hornworm with Wasp Eggs

18. Tapeworm or Hookworms living in Host's Gut

19. The roots of the Owl Clover are partly parasitic on the roots of other desert wildflowers.

20. Mutualism
Both species benefit from the interaction.

21. Mutualism – two species provide resources or services
to each other  enhances fitness of both species

22. Flowers and their Pollinators (examples:  Bees and hummingbirds gather nectar and spread pollen.)

23. Birds and mammals eat berries and fruits while the plant benefits by the dispersal of it seeds.

24. Algae and Fungi > Lichen - Alga gets water and nutrients from the fungus and the fungus gets food from the algae.

25. Cleaners eat insect pests from the skin of animals
Cleaners eat insect pests from the skin of animals. (ex: Egyptian plover cleans giraffes and buffaloes)

26. Many herbivores such as cows, sheep, deer, horses and rabbits depend on bacteria that live in their stomachs to break down the plant material.

27. Coral Reefs- The corals get food and the algae get protection.

28. Predation
one eats another (Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eats animals.)

33. Competition – two species share a requirement for a
limited resource  reduces fitness of one or both species

34. Predation – one species feeds on another  enhances
fitness of predator but reduces fitness of prey
herbivory is a form of
predation

35. Organizing ecological interactions
effect on species 1
predation
herbivory
parasitism + -
commensalism
mutualism
effect on
species 2
competition