COMMUNITY ECOLOGY & SPECIES

INTERACTION

ZGE 4301- Environmental Sciences

Dept of Biological Sciences
UE - Manila
Biological Community
• assemblage of populations at a particular time
• properties
▫ Scale – size of the community; lacks precise
boundaries
▫ Structure: Spatial and Temporal
Species interaction
• shows how one population influence individuals of
the other interacting population
• influence species niche

Ecological Niche
• the functional role of the species in a community
• Species richness
▫ refers to the number of species in a
community
• Species abundance
▫ abundance relative to other species in a
community
• Species diversity
▫ Species richness and relative abundance
Species Richness
Species Interaction
Type of Interaction Species 1 & 2 Nature of 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
• the shag
(Phalacrocovax
aristotelis) and
cormorant
(P. carbo)
Amensalism
• one population is inhibited, the other one is
not affected

e.g. taller plants shade smaller stature species

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

• two species competing for the same resources

cannot stably coexist, if the ecological factors are
constant.
Competition
Competition
Competition among barnacles (Connell, 1961)

Chthamalus in
upper intertidal zone

Mean tide level

Balanus in lower
intertidal zone
Competition Impacts
• Resource Partitioning
Commensalism
Species Interaction
Type of Interaction Species 1 & 2 Nature of 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
Protocooperation +,+ to both but not
obligatory
Both populations benefit
Mutualism +,+ from the interaction;
obligatory
Parasitism
Parasitism
 can control the
behavior of one
or more hosts
 affects
reproduction
and survival
Predation

Canadian lynx and hare

ADAPTATIONS - Prey
▫ Camouflaged
▫ Speed
▫ Protective armors
▫ Mimicry
Adaptation - Camouflage
Adaptation - Mimicry
Mutualism (Protocooperation)
• crabs and coelenterates
• ants and aphids
• ants and acacia tree
Mutualism (Symbiosis)
• Flowering plants and pollinators
• Termites and endosymbiotic protozoa (obligate)
• Lichens – association of algae and fungi
• Endophytes
Community Structure
• Species Diversity
▫ species richness and abundance
• Trophic structure
▫ feeding relationships within organisms
Trophic Structure
Ecological Succession
• Change in community structure over ecological time
▫ Primary succession
▫ Secondary succession
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession