1. Community ecology Koala Conga Line….

2. Community- groups of interacting populations Can be potentially influenced by interactions with other organisms Primate behavior shaped by interactions with other primate species

3. Some definitions Niche- a way to define the role an organism plays in its environment- multidimensional Sympatry- when two organisms share a habitat Congeneric- within the same genus (taxonomic category)

4. When similar species share... One may go extinct There may be evidence of behavioral character displacement (when one species shifts its niche) Share if –Resources are not limited –There is an area where they don’t overlap (physical and dietary)

5. Trophic structure chart (11.1- coursepak) –Example: plants eaten by hippo, hippo eaten by hyenas, hyenas eaten by lions, lions eaten by vultures. –Note trend in population size for each category –Primate/plant interactions at the bottom –Primate impact on leaf biomass (1%) compared to insects (15%) Ways to look at community

6. Biomass of everything (coursepak- Fig 11.2) Biomass of mammals (coursepak Fig 11.1) Body weight representation (Robinson graph handout) Ways to look at community –Note- animals make up small part of community –mammals make up an even smaller part –Primates very small!

7. Guilds-animals that occupy similar niches (role played in environment)- use resources in similar ways despite being very different organisms. Figure 14.4 - Avian guilds (in coursepak) –Note differences between forests –Note how partitioned Ways to look at community

8. Example 1- Howling monkeys and leaf cutter ants

9. Ants and Howlers Both eat tremendous amount of leaves But only overlap on 7 out of 40 plant species Howlers, majority of diet New leaves Ants almost entirely eat Mature leaves

10. Example 2- Howlers and Sloths Can have up to 80% overlap in diet. But sloths eat little (lower BMR)

11. Example 3- Malaysian Fruit eaters

12. Malayan Fruit feeders Primates eat unripe fruits, hornbills eat ripe ones Primates feed in upper canopy along with 3 or so squirrel species Squirrels eat seeds, primates fruit flesh Primates supplement with leaves, birdds with insects or other fruits.

13. Coevolution Between plants and animals A relationship developes between two organisms such that, as they interact with each other over time, each exerts a selection pressure on the other. Evolution of each becomes interdependent on that interaction

14. Some primate examples “positive relationships” –Seed dispersal –Pollination “Negative relationships” –Seed predation