Ecological relationships

Ecological
Relationships
Saturday, September 7, 13

❊ Ecology
❊ The study of the interaction of populations of living
organisms with other populations and with the
environment

❊ Ecology
environment❊ Population

❊ Ecology
❊ A group of individuals, all of the same species

❊ Ecology
❊ Community

❊ Ecology
❊ Community
❊ A group of different populations

❊ Ecology
❊ Community
❊ Abiotic factors

❊ Ecology
❊ Community
❊ Abiotic factors
❊ Oxygen concentration, salinity, temperature,
rainfall, etc.

Symbiotic Relationships

❊Symbiosis
❊A relationship between two species
❊Usually involves close physical contact

❊ The major types are ,
, , and relationships
❊Symbiosis

❊Symbiosis
mutualism

❊Symbiosis
mutualism
commensalism

❊Symbiosis
mutualism
commensalism parasitism

❊Symbiosis
mutualism
commensalism parasitism
predator-prey

❊ Mutualism
❊A symbiotic relationship between two species
in which both species benefit

❊ Mutualism
in which both species benefit
EXAMPLE:
❊ Microbes in the stomach of cattle
are responsible for the digestion of
cellulose (fiber in grass & hay)
❊The cattle benefit because they use
the glucose from the cellulose
digestion
❊ The microbes benefit because they
get a warm, moist, protected place
to live and all they food they need

❊ Commensalism
❊In which one species beneﬁts, and the other
species is neither helped nor harmed

❊ Commensalism
species is neither helped nor harmed
EXAMPLE:
❊ The worms benefit because
they get to travel through
nutrient-rich waters as the sea
turtle swims around (worms
attached to the docks are
stuck there)
❊ There is no direct benefit to
the turtle having worms stuck
on its back, nor does there
seem to be any harm done
Loggerhead turtle
& sea worms

❊ Parasitism
species is harmed
❊The species that beneﬁts is called a parasite, and
is typically much smaller than the other species
(the host)

❊ Parasitism
species is harmed
❊The species that beneﬁts is called a parasite, and
is typically much smaller than the other species
(the host)
❊ Example:
❊ microorganisms that cause
disease in humans,
animals, and plants

❊ Predator-prey
❊In which one species captures & kills the other
species for food
❊The species are generally about equal in size
❊The term is usually applied to animal species (or
certain types of protozoan species)

❊ Predator-prey
❊In which one species captures & kills the other
species for food
❊The species are generally about equal in size
❊The term is usually applied to animal species (or
certain types of protozoan species)❊ Example:
❊ Lions and
wildebeests, Owl
and mouse

Cattle with cattle egrets
Cattle stir up insects as they eat grass

What do the cattle get?
What do the egrets get?

Commensalism: one benefits, one is
unaffected
What do the cattle get?
What do the egrets get?

Moray Eel with
Cleaner Fish

Moray Eel with
Cleaner Fish
What does the
Moray Eel get?
What does the
Cleaner Fish get?

Mutualism:
both benefit
Moray Eel with
Cleaner Fish
What does the
Moray Eel get?
What does the
Cleaner Fish get?

Taenia worm in human eye
Worm infects human blood stream
Human may go blind

What does the human get?
What does the worm get?
Human may go blind

What does the human get?
What does the worm get?
Human may go blind
Parasitism: one benefits and
the other is harmed

Clown fish with anemone
Clown ﬁsh gets protection
Anemone is unaﬀected

Clown fish with anemone
Clown ﬁsh gets protection
Anemone is unaﬀected
Commensalism

Antelope with Oxbird
Antelope gets rid of parasites
Oxbird gets a meal

Antelope with Oxbird
Antelope gets rid of parasites
Oxbird gets a meal
Mutualism

A True Story...

A baby hippopotamus that survived the
tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed
a strong bond with a giant male tortoise. The
hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing
about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept
down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then
forced back to shore when tsunami waves
struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, 2005
before wildlife rangers rescued him.

A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a
male tortoise, about a century old, and the
tortoise seems to be very happy with being a
'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu
“It is incredible…

"After it was
swept and
lost its mother,
the hippo was
traumatized.
It had to look
for something
to be a
surrogate
mother.
Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and
established a strong bond. They swim, eat and
sleep together," the ecologist added.

The hippo follows the tortoise exactly
the way it follows its mother. If
somebody approaches the tortoise, the
hippo becomes aggressive, as if
protecting its biological mother,"
Kahumbu added.

What type of relationship do the
hippo and the tortoise have?
Explain your answer.

Ecological relationships

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Ecological relationships

Similar to Ecological relationships (10)

More from walkerhk

More from walkerhk (8)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Ecological relationships