Community Ecology -- Interspecific Interactions

1. Community Ecology -- Interspecific Interactions

2. Interspecific Interactions

3. A knife’s edge… Commensalism

4. Interspecific Interactions

5. Mutualism

6. Mutualism

7. Mutualism

8. Interspecific Interactions

9. + / - = more than just predation • Species #1 / Species #2 = Interaction • + / 0 = Commensalism • + / + = Mutualism • + / – = Parasitism (particularly w/o host death) • + / – = Herbivory (eating of parts of plant) • + / – – = Parasitoidism (host killed by larvae) • + / – – = Predation (prey killed by predator)

10. Secondary compounds (plants) • Nutritional deficiencies (plants) • Mechanical defenses (plants) • Production of poisons (animals) • Mechanical defenses (animals) • Running away & hiding (animals) • Fighting back (mostly animals) • Cryptic coloration (mostly animals) • Batesian mimicry (animals) • Müllerian mimicry (animals) • Immune systems (animals) Defense against + / – or + / ––

11. Nutrient Deficiencies (plants)

12. Mechanical Deficiencies (plants)

13. Production of Poisons

14. Mechanical Defenses (animals)

15. Running Away and Hiding

16. Fighting Back

17. Cryptic Coloration

18. Cryptic Coloration

19. Coevolution represents the evolutionary modification of organisms in response to other organisms, particularly when two organisms are mutually modified in response to modifications displayed by the other. • "Despite the problems in assessing cause and effect in the evolution of complex ecological relationships, biologists agree that the adaptation of organisms to other species in a community is a fundamental characteristic of life. Put another way, interactions of species in ecological time often translate into adaptations over evolutionary time.“ • Strictly, coevolutionary relations may be limited to interactions between two species rather than modifications that affect a suite of species; for example, an ability to run faster in order to escape predators is not quite the same thing as an ability to run faster in order to escape one predator species (which, if it wants a meal, would then be exposed to selection to run even faster). • This narrowing limits the applicability of the idea of coevolution since it creates a criteria that is stricter then simply more effectively interacting with other species in terms of survival and reproduction. Coevolution

20. Parasite-Host Coevolution

21. Aposematic (warning) Coloration

22. Aposematic (warning) Coloration

23. Batesian Mimicry

24. Müllerian Mimicry

25. Interspecific Interactions

26. Interference Competition • Fighting back • Running away • Avoidance • Losing Exploitative Competition • Competitive exclusion • Resource partitioning • Character displacement Fundamental vs. Realized Niche Defense against – / –

27. Competitive Exclusion

28. Resource Partitioning

29. Character Displacement

30. Fundamental & Realized Niches

31. Fundamental & Realized Niches

37. Interspecific Interactions

38. Food Chains

39. Marsh Food Web

40. Field Food Web

41. Soil Food Web

42. Aquatic Food Web

43. Keystone Species

44. Keystone Species

45. Ecological Succession

46. Interspecific Interactions

47. Ecological Succession

48. Primary Succession-Volcano

49. Primary Succession-Moraine

50. Primary Succession: Morain