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Community Ecology2
Community Ecology2
INTERACTION
Type of Nature of
Species 1 & 2
Interaction interaction
Neither population
Neutralism 0,0 affects the other
Direct or indirect
Competition -- , -- inhibition of each
species by the other
One population is
Amensalism -- , 0 inhibited, the other
is not affected
One population is
Commensalism +,0 benefited, the other
is not affected
Neutralism Amensalism
• the shag (Phalacrocovax
aristotelis) and cormorant
(P. carbo) taller plants shade smaller stature species
Commensalism
• Pilot fish swimming alongside a
whitetip shark • Staghorn fern on tree
Competitive exclusion principle
• If two species, with the same niche, coexist in the same ecosystem, then one
will be excluded from the community due to intense competition
• No 2 species can occupy the same ecological niche for long, the one that is
more efficient in using the available resources will exclude the other
Competition Impacts
Resource Partitioning
Species Interaction
Type of
Species 1 & 2 Nature of interaction
Interaction
The interaction is
Parasitism +,- beneficial to one and
detrimental to another
The interaction is
Predation +,- beneficial to one and
detrimental to another
Interaction is favorable to
Protocooperation +,+ both but not obligatory
▫ Camouflaged
▫ Speed
▫ Protective armors
▫ Mimicry
Adaptation - Mimicry
Mutualism (Protocooperation)
Mutualism (Protocooperation)
Lichen on a tree bark
• ants and aphids
Mutualism (Symbiosis)
• Flowering plants and pollinators
• Lichens – association of algae and fungi
• Endophytes
Community Structure
• Species Diversity
▫ species richness and abundance
• Trophic structure
▫ feeding relationships within organisms
Trophic Structure