Species Interactions
• Predation
• Competition
• Symbiosis
– Mutualism
– Commensalism
– Parasitism
Predation
• Predation is any interaction between two organisms in
which one organism (the predator) consumes all or part of
another organism (the prey).
• Predation can involve one animal eating another animal.
• An herbivore grazing on a plant is another example of
predation. Usually, only part of the prey is eaten by the
predator.
• Herbivore-Plant Interaction: Manatee Grazing on Aquatic
Plants
• A species like Frog may be both a prey and predator. It is predator for insects but a prey for
• other animals.
• • Important for regulation of population of both prey and predator.
• • Can drive evolution of each other.
Competition
• Competition in an interaction between two organisms that
are using the same limited resource.
• Competition can be within the same species (intraspecific)
or between different species (interspecific).
• Most interspecific competition involves one species
becoming more efficient than others in obtaining the
resources it needs.
Symbiosis
• Symbiosis is an intimate relationship between different species in which at
least one species depends upon the relationship to survive.
• When one partner is really small and lives inside of the other partner, the
other partner is called the host.
• The really small partner can be called a mutualist, a commensalist, or a
parasite (depending on the type of relationship).
• Sometimes, the really small partner is called the symbiont. This is a
general term and does not imply a type of relationship.
Types of Symbiosis
• Mutualism: Both partners benefit
from the relationship (+, +)
• Oxpeckers feed on parasitic ticks that infest animals
such as this impala and warn of approaching
predators.
• Commensalism: One partner
benefits from the relationship; the
other partner is not affected (+, 0)
Pitcher plant is attached to a branch of a tree without
penetrating or harming the tree. This carnivorous plant
feeds on insects that become trapped inside it.
• Parasitism: One partner benefits
from the relationship; the other
partner is harmed (+, -)
Threats to Biodiversity
• Extinction, the elimination of species is a normal process in
nature. Species die out and are replaced by other as part of
evolutionary process.
• The rate of extinction in a undisturbed ecosystem remain
unchanged but due to human activities the rate of
elimination of species has increased.
• E. O. Wilson a noted ecologist says 10,000 species per year or
27 per day becomes extinct
Human impact on loss of Biodiversity
• The growth of human population, consumption levels, and mobility
is the root of most of the serious threats to biodiversity today.
• It is rare that humans intend to make a species go extinct or to
threaten biodiversity in some other way. Usually, those impacts are
the unfortunate by-products of people trying to provide a decent
living for themselves.
• In the last 30 years or so, efforts to protect and preserve biodiversity
have expanded exponentially.
loss of biodiversity
“HIPPO”
• Habitat Loss
• Invasive Species
• Poaching
• Pollu9on
• Over popula9on
Habitat Loss
• This occurs when a particular area is converted from usable to unusable habitat.
• Industrial activities, agriculture, aquaculture, mining, deforestaAon, and water
extraction are all central causes of habitat loss.
• Habitat fragmentation, the loss of large units of habitat, is also a serious threat to
biodiversity.
• Habitat loss leads to the formation of isolated, small, scattered populations. These
small populations are increasingly vulnerable to inbreeding, which causes loss of
gene pool, high infant mortality and susceptible to environmental changes, which all
may lead to extinction of the species
Invasive Species
• When an animal, plant, or microbe moves into
a new area, it can affect the resident species in
several different ways.
• New species can parasitize or predate upon
residents, hybridize with them, compete with
them for food, bring unfamiliar diseases,
modify habitats, or disrupt important
interactions.
Brown tree snake in Guam: Native to Australia, the snake was
accidentally transported to Guam in ship cargo following World
War II. Because Guam had basically no predators to keep the
snake population in check, it rapidly multiplied and caused the
extinction of most of the resident bird species.
Poaching
• Illegal hunting (killing)
OR
• Illegally removing a species from
its habitat
Pollution
Water, Air and Ground Pollution
• Water: Pesticides, Fertilizers,
Pesticide= chemicals used to kill a pest (rodent, insect,
fungus, etc.)
Runoff with rainwater puts it into local water systems.
Disrupts aquatic food chains
Fertilizers: Runoff into lakes
Causes rapid algae growth (algae bloom)
Algae blocks sunlight and….
Plants die (less oxygen)
Decomposers break down dead plants (&
use up oxygen)
No oxygen available to other animals and
they “suffocate”
Air Pollution
• Air Pollution: Pollutants released into air
usually from burning fossil fuels
Global warming
Ozone depletion
Acid Rain
Carbon Monoxide poisoning
• Ground Pollution: Soil becomes
polluted when air pollutants drik
to the ground or when water
leaves pollutants behind as it
flows through the soil.
Overpopulation
As more humans are added to our planet, the demand for natural
resources (for energy, food and shelter) increases and more land is
cleared for development.
