Interactions Flashcards
5 Species Interactions
Predation
Competition
Mutualism
Parasitism
Commensalism
Symbioses
Long-term biological interactions
Competition
a biotic interaction where all organisms/species are negatively affected
Arises due to resource limitation
Resources= water, food, territory, etc.
Interspecific competition
(inter = between)
Individuals of different species compete for the same resources
All species are negatively affected
Intraspecific competition
(intra = within)
Competition within a species.
All individuals are negatively affected
More individuals = more competition
How do organisms avoid competition?
Different species can avoid competing by utilizing specific niches
Niche
how an organism lives aka- its functional role in the environment
A niche is comprised of three main components:
The habitat which the organism lives
The activity pattern of the organism
The resources needed/obtained from the habitat
Competitive exclusion principle:
One of the competing species will be driven to extinction or…(what happened to the finches on the Galapagos Islands?)
They became different species (speciation)
Competitive exclusion principle:
One of the competing species will be driven to extinction or…(what happened to the finches on the Galapagos Islands?)
They became different species (speciation)
Resource Partitioning
Where two or more species divide out resources in order to reduce competition and coexist
Generalist species
are organisms that have a wide range of diets and habitat types.
Specialist species
are organisms that have a narrow range of diets and habitat types.
