Ecology: Greek oikos (house) + logos (study)

Interactions of biotic and abiotic factors

 Ecology of communities

Community: assemblage of populations (of species) interacting with one another

in the same environment
 Ecology of communities: why some species are found in a community

Individualistic hypothesis (HA Gleason): a chance assemblage (aggregation) of

certain populations of species in the same area due to similar abiotic
requirements of each population

Interactive hypothesis (RE Clements): an assemblage of closely linked species

bound into association by mandatory biotic interactions; the entire community
functions as one whole integrated unit or super-organism.
 Ecology of communities: natural selection pressures

Industrial melanism

Community interactions (intra- and inter-species) and abiotic factors act as

natural selection pressures to initiate evolutionary adaptation response(s) among
organisms.
Predator-prey interactions as a natural selection pressure may result in co-evolution
of adaptive traits.
Inter-species interactions: predation

Herbivory

Parasitism
Inter-species interactions: predation

Cycling of predator and prey densities

 Inter-species interactions: predation
Anti-predator
Predator adaptations
adaptations
Inter-species interaction: predation as a biological pest control
 Competition: intra-species
Like other biotic interactions, competition influences the carrying
capacity of a population of species.

Increasing competition may result in:

a) lower population growth rates;
b) increased mortality rates and reduced birth rates; and
c) direct physical contact.

aggressive behavior

ritualistic behavior
 Competition: intra-species
dominance hierarchy

emigration

territoriality
Competition: inter-species

Competitive exclusion
principle: two or more
species competing for
common resources cannot
co-exist
 Competition: inter-species

Natural selection favors phenotypes that are able to reduce or

escape competition.

sympatric population

allopatric population
Competition: inter-species

Resource partitioning among Anolis lizards

 Inter-species interaction: symbiosis

commensalism
Inter-species interaction: mutual symbiosis (=mutualism)