Ecological Relationships

Ecological Relationships

​Please open your Journal and add the heading "Ecological Relationships." Add this to your TOC. You will need to take notes over the material. Make sure you write out and define all of the words that are defined in the lesson. If there are examples, make sure you include the examples in your notes. You will be able to use your notes on your quiz, so the better your notes are, the better your quiz score will be.

Ecology

The branch of
biology that
deals with the
relations of
organisms to
one another
and to their
physical
surroundings.

Biotic vs Abiotic

▪ Both are responsible for shaping an

ecosystem

▪ Biotic factors: all things living

▪ Abiotic factors: all things non-living

Species Interactions: Symbiosis

5 major types of symbiotic relationships
(special relationships between two
species due to co-evolution)

▪ predation

▪ competition

▪ parasitism

▪ commensalism

▪ mutualism

Environmental

Interactions

Abiotic

Biotic

Symbiosis

Competition

Feeding

Parasitism

Mutualism

Commensalism

Predation

Competition

▪ Competition occurs

when two or more
individuals/species
compete for the same
resources to survive.
▪ food
▪ water
▪ territory
▪ mates
▪ sunlight

Read more about competition, how it
effects individual species and ultimalty
drives evolution
https://sciencing.com/competition-biology-defi
nition-types-examples-13719233.html

Two outcomes are
possible in the
presence of
competition:

1. One species becomes

extinct

2. Species evolve to use

different niches
(sets of resources)

Mutualism

▪ Both species benefit

▪ Ants protect aphids and the aphids produce

honeydew for the ants

▪ Clownfish and sea anemones
▪ Crocodiles and plover

Commensalism

▪ One benefits, the other species is not affected

▪ Pseudoscorpions hitching ride on a fly’s leg

▪ Cattle and cattle egrets
▪ Sharks and pilot fish

Parasitism

▪One species ( parasite) takes nourishment from another
species ( host) while weakening the host

▪Parasitized caterpillar covered with wasp pupae which have
consumed all internal tissue except vital organs

▪Tapeworm in a mammal’s intestine

▪Mistletoe

▪Fungus

Predation: Predator and
Prey

▪ predator species kills and eats the other species,

prey.

▪ Praying mantis captures grasshopper.
▪ Anole captures and eats praying mantis.

Relationship Cheat Sheet

Mutualism

Commensalism

Parasitism

Predation

Competition

What types of relationships?

1. Deer and grass
2. Dog and tick
3. Sticker burrs and animals
4. Termites and termite gut microbes

(these break down cellulose)

5. Hawk and rabbit

6. Trees and grass

What types of relationships?

1. Deer and grass (Predation)
2. Dog and tick ( Parasitism)
3. Sticker burrs and animals (Commensalism)
4. Termites and termite gut microbes

(these break down cellulose) (Mutualism)

5. Hawk and rabbit ( predation)

6. Trees and grass

( Competition)