Lesson 3: Species Interaction and Ecological

Succession and Population Control

A. Types of interaction among species
B. Ecological Succession
C. Factors that limit population size
…review
• A species is a group of organisms that share a close genetic
heritage, that are able to interbreed, and to create fertile offspring.

…but how do different species interact?

A. Five types of interactions among species

1) Interspecific competition
2) Predation
3) Parasitism
4) Mutualism
5) Commensalism
1. Interspecific Competition
• Is the competition among different species

• When species compete for the same resources, their niches overlap.

• If one species can take over the largest share of one or more key resources,
each of the other competing species must move to another area (if possible),
adapt by shifting its feeding behaviour through natural selection to reduce or
alter its niche, suffer a sharp population decline, or become extinct in that
area.

• Over a time scale enough for natural selection to occur, populations of some
species develop adaptations that allow them to reduce competition with other
species.
1. Interspecific Competition
• One way this happens is through RESOURCE PARTITIONING or when
species competing for similar resources evolve specialized traits allowing them to
share resources by using parts of them, using them at different times, or using
them in different ways.
2. Predation
• a member of one species (the predator, or hunter) feeds directly on all or part
of a living organism (the prey, or hunted) as part of a food web.

• This predator–prey relationship, a species interaction that has a strong

effect on population sizes and other factors in many ecosystems.
3. Parasitism

• Occurs when one species (the parasite) feeds

on another organism (the host), usually by
living on or inside the host.

• The parasite benefits and the host is often

harmed.

• A parasites rarely kill their host. However,

some gradually weakens them.

• Some parasites, including fleas and ticks, move

from one host to another while others,
including tapeworms, spend their adult lives
within a single host.
4. Mutualism

• two species behave in ways that benefit

both by providing each with food, shelter,
or some other resource.

• Examples:
▫ Birds that ride on the backs or heads of
large animals such as elephants,
rhinoceroses, and impalas.

▫ Clownfish living in sea anemone

5. Commensalism

• is an interaction that benefits one

species but has little, if any, beneficial
or harmful effect on the other.

• Example:
▫ Pitcher plant is attached to a branch of a
tree without penetrating or harming the
tree. This carnivorous plant feeds on
insects that become trapped inside it.

▫ Birds making their nests on the trees

How do communities and ecosystems respond to changing
environmental conditions?
 B. Ecological Succession

• This is the normally gradual change in

species composition in a given area

• The types and numbers of species in

ecosystems change in response to
changing environmental conditions such
as a fires, volcanic eruptions, climate
change, and the clearing of forests to
plant crops

• Two types of Ecological Succession:

1. Primary ES
2. Secondary ES
 1.Primary Ecological
Succession
- involves the gradual establishment of
communities of different species in
lifeless areas where there is no soil in a
terrestrial ecosystem or no bottom
sediment in an aquatic ecosystem.
2.Secondary Ecological
Succession
- series of ecosystems with different
species develop in places containing soil
or bottom sediment. This type of
succession begins in an area where an
ecosystem has been disturbed, removed,
or destroyed, but some soil or bottom
sediment remains.
 B. Ecological Succession
• Ecological succession is an important
ecosystem service that enriches the
biodiversity of ecosystems by increasing
species diversity and interactions.

• In turn, this enhances sustainability by

promoting population control and by
increasing the complexity of food webs,
which enhances energy flow and
nutrient cycling.

• primary and secondary ecological

succession are examples of natural
ecological restoration.
C. Factors that limit population size
• A population is a group of interbreeding individuals of the same species.
• Living in groups can also provide some protection from predators, and living
in packs gives some predator species a better chance of getting a meal.
• A population INCREASES through birth and immigration (arrival of
individuals from outside the population)

• A population DECREASES through death and emigration (departure of

individuals from the population)
2 Factors that can Limit Population Size
1. Range of Tolerance
• a range of variations in a population’s physical and chemical environment under
which it can survive
2. Population Density
• is the number of individuals in
a population found within a
defined area or volume.
• in a dense population, parasites
and diseases can spread more
easily, resulting in higher death
rates