Organism Relationships

1. Organism Relationships Ms. Kim H. Biology

2. What is an Ecological Niche? • Populations live along with other populations in a habitat with a limited amount of resources. • A niche is how a population responds to the abundance of its resources and enemies (those other organisms) • Fundamental niche – all the resources that COULD be used by a population • Realized niche – the ACTUAL resources used by a population • Competitive Exclusion – when two species compete for the same resource, one will be better suited to the niche and the other will have to find another niche or go extinct

3. How do Habitat and Niche Differ? • Habitat = where an organism lives. • Niche = how an organism lives. • Includes food, abiotic factors, and behavior

4. Factors that Affect Populations • Available resources (ex. food, water, shelter) • Activities of other organisms (ex. predators, disease-causing parasites) • Organism's own characteristics (ex. gestation period, number of young produced, nurturing of young, migratory) • Time of day or year (ex. tides, seasons, nocturnal or diurnal) • Weather (ex. amount of rainfall, cyclone, drought)

5. Ecosystem Relationships • Ecosystem:A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well as its physicalenvironment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit. • Feeding • Symbiosis • Competition

6. Predator-Prey Relationships • We have discussed the feeding relationships of organisms, as we have identified producers, consumers, decomposers, and scavengers. • As well as herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. • Another relationship is predator-prey relationship. • Population #s tied to each other

7. Interactions Between Populations of Different Species • Predation(+/–)—consumption of one organism by another • Predator eats prey • Parasitism (+/–)—specialized predator (parasite) lives on/in its host, not killed immediately • Endoparasitism—live inside host (tapeworms/viruses) • Ectoparasitism—live on surface of host (mosquitoes/leeches) • Herbivory(+/–)—herbivores consume plants

8. Symbiotic Relationships • Symbiotic Relationships - Close living associations • Types of Symbiosis: • Commensalism - one organism is benefited and the other is unharmed • Mutualism - both organisms benefit from the association • Parasitism -the parasite benefits at the expense of the host

9. Symbiotic Relationships • “Sym” means same 3 Types of Symbiotic Interactions Non-Beneficial 1. Parasitism (+/–) —host harmful Beneficial 2. Commensalism (+/0) —one partner benefits while not harming/helping the other 3. Mutualism (+/+) —both partners benefit

10. Competition Interspecific Intraspecific Individuals of different species compete for the same resource(s) such as food, water, or shelter in an ecosystem Individuals of the same species compete for the same resource(s) such as food, water, or shelter in an ecosystem

11. Competition • Competition results in… • Lower birth rates, higher death rates (or both) • In evolutionary terms, an individual’s fitness is lower

12. How do Organisms Adapt to their Biomes? • How do organisms deal with low precipitation? • How do organisms deal with hot temperatures? • How do organisms deal with low temperature?

13. Animal Defenses Against Predators • Behavioral defenses • Alarm cries • Distraction displays • Coloration/shape (camouflage) • Blend in with environment • Mechanical/chemical defenses • Quills, spines, and other similar structures • Toxins—distasteful or poisonous • Monarch butterfly stores toxin of milkweed as larvae • Poisonous toads secrete toxin

14. Animal Defenses Against Predators (Con’t) BOO! • Mimicry—prey resembles species that cannot be eaten • Mimicry can be used to lure prey • Snapping turtle wriggles tongue like a worm to attract and capture small fish Don’t eat me!

15. Adaptations • Adaptation - a characteristic of an organism that enables it to function more effectively or survive in it surroundings • 5 Types of Adaptations • Structural - related to the structure of the organism • Color- related to color • Physiological - related to the organism's metabolism • Behavioral - related to behavior • Reproductive - related to courtship, mating or rearing of young

16. Adaptation Structural • The streamlined shape of fish enables it to swim more quickly through water. Color • Camouflage, warning coloration of blue-ringed octopus, mimicry of butterfly wings with 'eye spot’

17. Adaptations Physiological • During hibernation, bears reduce their chemical processes Behavioral • During the heat of the day in the desert, lizards burrow into the sand to find a cooler place.

18. Adaptations Reproduction • Peacocks fan their feathers to attract a mate.

19. Succession "Ecological succession" is the observed process of change in an ecological community over time Two types: Primary Succession Secondary Succession

20. Primary Succession The development of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited Ex: Area around melting glaciers Ex: After a volcano erupts

21. Secondary Succession The re-establishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact Plants/other organisms start the re-growth Ex: Fire damage

22. What happens when humans interfere? • What happens when new species are introduced? • What are some examples? • What happens when one organism disappears? • What are some examples?

23. Non-native species • Non-native species come from somewhere else and they are not natural to the ecosystem they have been introduced to. • They may be harmless and beneficial or they can upset that balance and bring harm to the established plants and animals, and the whole ecosystem. • Loss of habitat constitutes the greatest threat to the existence of native creatures and biodiversity. • The second worst threat is the biological invasion of alien plants and animals.

24. Non-native species: Water Hyacinths: Good or Evil? • One of the worst aquatic weeds in the world. • Grow rapidly, doubling in 12 days and seeds can survive for 30 years. • Density may prevent sunlight and oxygen from reaching the water or may block waterways

25. Keystone Species • What are some examples? • Examples: • Beavers • Sea Otters • Elephants • Wolves • In some ecosystems, the loss of one specie can have a profound effect on the ecosystem. • This is called a Keystone Species.