Ecological

http://www.univie.ac.at/zoologie/ecophys/crabsp-300dpi.jpg
Relationships

How do biotic
factors
influence
http://www.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/201/fall06/projects/p1/fox-rabbit.jpg
each other?
 Ecological Relationships
Biodiversity = the
number of species in an
ecosystem
Territory = space
claimed by an
individual organism

Ecological Equilibrium =
state of “balance” in an
ecosystem
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/about/environment/faqs/biodiversity.jpg
 Ecological Relationships
• NICHE - Role of organism A niche is the
in the ecosystem (job) sum of all
activities and
• NICHE DIVERSITY – relationships
a species has
Number of niches in an while
obtaining and
ecosystem; often using
determined by abiotic resources
needed to
factors survive and
Abiotic = non-living reproduce
 Competition: The “fight” may be indirect
… individuals may never
• When species or directly contact each other.

individuals “fight” for

the same resources.
– E.g., Food, shelter…. Losing a keystone
species usually
• KEYSTONE disrupts many
PREDATOR/SPECIES - ecological
relationships.
A predator that http://www.butler.edu/herbarium/prairie/prairie42004.jpg

causes a large Two species with

increase in diversity similar needs for
same limited
of its habitat.
resources cannot
coexist.
 Herbivory:
• A primary consumer
http://www.smilinglizard.com/1a291aa0.jpg

feeds on a producer.

http://images.inmagine.com/168nwm/creata
s/cr15169/cr15169065.jpg
A fruit bat eating
a papaya

A woodchuck eating
wild clover
 http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/clog/wp-
content/uploads/2007/06/close-up-bald-eagle-eating.jpg

consumer.
• A consumer

An eagle eating halibut.

feeds on another
Predation:

A lion eating zebra.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2006/3/IMAGES/lion_zebra.jpg
 Symbiosis:

http://www.floridastateparks.org/maclaygardens/images/wallpaper/1024-PL-MAC-Symbiosis-MarkFerrulo.jpg
• A long-term relationship where two
species live closely together and at
least one benefits directly from the
relationship.
 Mutualism:
• Both organisms benefit from the
relationship.
• Win-Win situation!

http://tumi-educational-resources.org/Educational%20%20Videos.htm
 Pollination (Mutualism)

http://www.nearctica.com/ecology/pops/mutual.htm
• Plants must attract the
pollinator (insects,
birds, bats, small
mammals) – for
example, the flower
may have a scent that
the pollinator likes.
•Plant gets pollen
transported and
the pollinator gets
nectar (a sugar
rich solution) as a
food source.
 Mutualism
• Racoon and Poison
Ivy
– The raccoon eats the
berries of the poison
ivy and disperses the
seeds as it poops.
– Both benefit.
 Commensalism
• One organism
benefits, the other
one is unaffected.
• Win-Neutral
relationship
 Commensalism
• Eastern Chipmunk and
Soil mite
– The chipmunk is a mammal
that burrows.
– The soil mite feeds off of
leaf litter but cannot burrow
itself.
– The mite uses the
chipmunk’s tunnels to
travel from place to place.

Copyright, Ray Norton

Commensalism
• Pear-shaped puffball
gets opened (and
spores dispersed) by Copyright, Leon Shernoff

Opossum
• Puffball benefits,
opossum is not
affected.
 Parasitism
• One organism benefits, the other one
is harmed!
• Win-Lose relationship
• Parasites rarely kill their hosts…it
would require them to get another
one!
 Parasitism
• Dogwood tree is
parasitized by
honeysuckle.

Michael Clayton, Wisconsin State Herbarium

Department of Botany, Iowa St. University

 Parasitism
•Bullfrog acts as a host of the
big red worm parasite.

Ohio State University

 Ecological Relationships
• Biological Magnification — Increasing
concentration of poisons in organisms in
higher trophic levels in a food chain or
web.

Many
toxins in
the
Many person
toxins in
the water
• Biological
Magnification-
accumulation of
increasing amounts of
toxin within tissues of
organisms.

Video on Biological
Magnification