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Explore the intricate relationships between species in ecology, from predators capturing prey to how mimicry is used for survival, and the mechanisms of plant defense strategies against herbivores. Uncover the dynamics of competition, mutualism, and commensalism in the natural world, and learn about the fascinating adaptations that improve predator abilities and prey defenses.
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Species Interactions • Predators vs. Parasites • How is mimicry used? • Plant defenses • Competition • Mutalism vs. Commensalism
Predation • Predators capture, kills and consumes prey • Regulates pop. Size • Think: what examples of adaptations that improve a predators abilities can you think of? • Poison, webs, teeth, comouflage
Mimicry • A harmless species resembles a poisonous or distasteful species • King Snakes vs. Coral Snakes (found in S. US) • Bees and wasps "If red touches black, it's OK, Jack. If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow.“ "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, okay jack."
Left Monarchs eat poison Milkweed • Right Viceroys are harmless
Plant-Herbivore interactions • Plant defense? • Thorns, spikes, tough leaves, • Chemical defenses: Secondary Compounds that are poisonous, irritating or bad tasting • Strychnine • Nicotine • Poison Ivy/ Oak Devil’s Club Devil’s walking stick
Parasites and Hosts • One organisms is harmed, and the other benefits • Usually does not immeadiately kill host • Ectoparasites: external • Ticks, fleas, lice • Endoparasites: internal • Bacteria, malaria, tapeworms • Tapeworms don’t even need a digestive system, since they get food from hosts
Competition • Niches overlap • Resources are limited • Happens between plants • What do plants compete for? • Light, water, nutrients • How do plants compete? • Herbicides, creosote, out growing
Competitive Exclusion • One species uses resources more efficiently and has a reproductive advantage that eventually drives out another species from a habitat.
tidal zonation of Chthamalus and Balanus (barnacles) is the result of competition and what environment each can tolerate. Competition for space, however, was responsible for the sharp boundary between the two species.
A scientist grew 2 species of Galium (Bedstraw) The presence/absence of a species determined by competition with other species; (2) that conditions of the environment (in this case, soil type) affected the outcome of competition; (3) that competition might be felt very broadly at first (i.e., from other vegetation throughout the community); and (4) that the present ecological segregation of species might have resulted from competition in the past
Avoiding competition • Niche Differences or anatomical differences evolve that lessen competition • Character displacement • A bunch of finches live in the same area but have dif. beaks and eat slightly dif foods. • Resource Partitioning • I’ll use this part of the resource, you use that part.
Mutualism: A cooperative relationship in which both species benefit • Ants live in the bull horn acacia plant • Ants get food from plant and protect it • Pollination: Bees and flowers • Us and the gardens in our guts • Commensalism: one species benefits and the other is not affected • Little birds follow around buffalo and eat insects they scare up • Remora fish
Side note • The African (cape) Buffalo • Takes several lions to bring one down • Very Aggressive, Known as the “black death” • Once wounded, have doubled back and ambushed hunters
