Predation and Mutualism

mutualism

A relationship where both organisms benefit (+) (+)

predation

One organism (+) kills and eats another organism (-)

parasitism

One organism (+) lives on or inside another organism (-) and gets nutrients from it

commensalism

One organism benefits (+), while the other is neither helped nor harmed (~)

obligate mutualism

when one species relies completely on another species for goods or services

facultative

where both organisms benefit, but the relationship is not required for their survival.

specific associations

A specific association is when two species have a very close, specialized relationship with each other

diffuse associations

when a species interacts with many different species rather than just one

exhabitational associations

one organism lives outside the body of another organism but still depends on it in some way

inhabitational associations

one organism lives inside the tissues or body of another organism

interspecific interactions

interactions between populations of different species

consumer-resource interactions

relationships in which one organism (the consumer) obtains energy and nutrients by using another organism (the resource)

functional response

how the feeding rate of a consumer (predator, herbivore, etc.) changes as the density of its resource (prey/food) changes.

herbivory

When a plant is eaten by another organism

Amensalism

when one individual is negatively affected by interaction with another individual who is not affected by the relationship

neutralism

Interactions between the two individuals are neutral in regards to both species

Keystone predation

where the removal of a prey species by the predator indirectly increases the abundance of a competitor of the prey specie

exploitation competition

When two predators consume the same prey, the loss of abundance in the prey species can negatively affect the second predator

apparent competition

when an increase in the abundance of one species leads to a decrease in the abundance of a second species due to enhanced predation by a shared predator

indirect mutualism

when positive effects on two consumer species when each negatively impacts a competitor species of the other predator's main prey species

indirect commensalism

when one species benefits from another, but the benefit happens through a third species, not through direct interaction.

habit facilitation

one species indirectly improves the habitat of a third species by its interactions with a second species

trophic cascade

an ecological process where changes at one trophic level cause a chain reaction that affects multiple lower trophic levels and even the physical structure of the ecosystem.

indirect defense

when a non-prey species leads to the indirect decrease of a consumer species either by reducing the prey species via competition, which leads to a reduction in the consumer species, or when one prey species leads to an increase in its predator abundance, which then preys more heavily on the third species

apparent predation

a non-prey individual that has an indirect positive effect on a consumer or the negative effect of a predator on a non-prey species