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Species Interactions

Species Interactions. Important in determining – population dynamics community composition landscape spatial pattern ecosystem function. T. Kittel, W. Bowman Univ of Colorado. General Categories Assigned by effect on the two individual organisms interacting:

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Species Interactions

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  1. Species Interactions • Important in determining – • population dynamics • community composition • landscape spatial pattern • ecosystem function T. Kittel, W. Bowman Univ of Colorado

  2. General Categories • Assigned by effect on the two individual organisms interacting: • +, + = mutualism N2 fixation, mycorrhizae • +, 0 = commensalism Nurse plants • –, 0/+ = amensalism Allelopathy • –, + = parasitism • herbivory / predation • –,– = competition Intra & interspecific • Can be more complicated than direct interactions of 2 individuals •  mediated through a 3rd individual or species • soil microbes, herbivores influence competitive interactions

  3. Plant-Animal • Pollination • Insects • Birds • Hummingbirds • Bats • Fruit dispersal • Defense • Ants Mucuna holtonii, Central America Rhinoceros Hornbill eating Strangler Fig fruits, Borneo Azteca Ants on Cecropai, Panama • A. Mutualism (+, +) • Plant-Microbe • Mycorrhizae • N–fixation • Lichen

  4. Lesser Long-nosed Bat Rufous Hummingbird • “Nectar corridors” • Sequence of flowering plants Monarch Butterfly White-winged Dove Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum www.desertmuseum.org/pollination/ “The Forgotten Pollinators” • Long–distance migratory pollinators • Threatened – habitat loss • Keystone species

  5. Staghorn fern • B.Commensalism (+,0) • Plant-Plant • 1) Vines • 2) Epiphytes • Bromeliads • Orchids • Cacti • Ferns • Lichen • Moss • Algae moss v. lichen Atlantic Forest, Brazil

  6. Exceptions – • Mutualism – • Lichen with cyanobacteria: N leaching, benefit to tree • Epiphytic commensalism goes bad • Detrimental overburden • Competition • Strangulation • Overtopping Strangler fig

  7. Pueraria montana var. lobata • Oriental Bittersweet • Vine, introduced from e. Asia • Invasion in eastern US Celastrus orbiculata • Kudzu • – “the vine that ate the south” • Introduced 1876 from Asia • Planted for soil conservation 1930’s

  8. Piñon pine under Sagebrush A. Commensalism – continued • 2) Nurse plants • Saguaros under Palo Verde • Desert annuals under shrubs

  9. Red-footed Booby in Mangrove Galápagos Is. Oropendola nests, Roraima Brazil Iran Jaya's People of the Trees Titi monkey, São Paulo Brazil Plant-animal commensalism – Habitat • nesting • roosting • hunting for other animals • shelter from other animals

  10. Larrea tridentata - Creosote •  Difficult to show in field Big sagebrush with native bunchgrasses growing under canopy • C. Amensalism (– , 0/+) • Allelochemical Interactions • Plant–Plant • Allelopathy • Plant–Animal • Herbivory defenses • Plant–Decomposer • > Litter composition  soil pH  soil biota: • Conifer low pH fungi favored, • Temperate Deciduous  neutral bacteria • > Plant leakage of compounds detrimental to soil biota

  11. D. Parasitism(–,+) • Dodder (Cuscuta) – • stem parasite • no chlorophyll = holoparasite

  12. Coral root orchid - Corallarhiza maculata root parasite on pines

  13. Dwarf mistletoe– holoparasite Arceuthobium cyanocarpum Staminate plant (left) and carpellate plant (right) on Pinus ponderosa Arceuthobium americanum Carpellate plant on Pinus contorta • Mistletoe – • stem parasite • differing degrees of chlorophyll • with chlorophyll = hemiparasite • w/o holoparasite

  14. Phoradendron tomentosum on hackberry (Celtis laevigata), preferred host Broadleaf (Hairy) mistletoe - hemiparasite

  15. More hemiparasites: • Indian paintbrush – Castilleja spp. • Root parasite

  16. if mutualisms among plant species occur, should be a positive association • they should occur closer together (clumped) than predicted by chance (random) Inferenceof species interactions on the landscape • If species interactions are important to plant species – Should be reflected in the spatial patterns of individuals (inter and intraspecific)

  17. Larrea tridentata - Creosote Landscape spatial patterning (con’t) • if amensalism occurs, should be pushed away from each other •  giving an even distribution

  18. Landscape spatial patterning (con’t) • Under competition – competitive exclusion leads to • range separation • niche partitioning Non-overlapping geographic ranges of five species of large kangaroo rats

  19. Within–canopy distribution • Amazonian tree – • The long roots dangling from the crown probably belong to Philodendrons • On the middle and upper branches cluster groups of orchids, bromeliads, and ferns – including staghorn fern • Low on the trunk are Arums & Philodendrons with heart-shaped leaves

  20. Keystone species • Presence of a species determines community structure disproportionately to population size

  21. Summary – Species Interactions • Plants and animals engaged in interactions with wide range of other taxa • Positive, detrimental, or neutral effects of one species on another • Reflected in spatial patterns – random vs. even vs. uniform • Reflected in community structure – Keystone species

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