Competition and cooperation

what is a communtiy

a group of populations living together in an area and interacting with each other

what do the organisms have with each other

complex relationships and beneficial/harmful interactions with each other

what can relationships within a community be

intraspecific and interspecific

what are intraspecific relationships

interactions between individuals of the same species (‘intra’ = within)

what are interspecific relationships

interactions between individuals of different species that occur within a community (‘inter’ = between)

what can intraspecific relationship involve

• cooperation - both members beenfit from the interactions

• competition - one member of the relationship outcompetes the other and is more successful

why does competition occur for members of the same species

individuals share the same ecological niche with similar requirements for resources

what are the different types of competition

• plants = light and pollinating insects

• animals = space/nurturing sites and water/necessary resources

what are some examples of a cooperative relationship

• roosting in birds = provides warmth and protection

• group hunting in wolves = social predation increases chances of success

• big schools of fish = forming a tight pack makes it harder for predators

what are the categories of interspecific relationships within communties

• herbivory

• predation (self-explanatory)

• interspecific competition

• mutualism

• parasitism

• pathogenicity

herbivory

primary consumers feeding on producers, the producer may or may not be killed

interspecific competition

two or more species using the same resource with the amount taken by one species reducing the amount available to the other species

mutualism (look at booklet for examples)

two species living in a close association, with both species benefiting from the association

parasitism

one species (parasite) living inside, or on the outer surface of another species (host) and obtaining food from them = host harmed, parasite benefits

pathogenicity

one species (the pathogen) living inside another species (the host) and causing a disease in the host

what does competitive exclusion not allow

two species to occupy the same ecological niche indefinitely

what competes with endemic species and for what

invasive species for resources

what does this do to endemic species

occupy smaller niches, decline in pop size, become entirely extinct

what are endemic species

species which occur naturally in an ecological niche in an area

what are invasive/alien species

those that were introduced by humans deliberately or accidentally

why are invasive species not effectively controlled

due to the absence of natural predators that would control them in their native habitat