Biotic Interactions

Biological Interactions - unfortunately I am yet to find

a suitable replacement for this video.

Make a list of key terms while you watch

Biological Communities
● Communities vary greatly in size and lack precise boundaries
● They are often nestled within each other
Interactions Among Organisms
● Symbiosis
● An intimate relationship between members of 2 or more species
● Participants may be benefited, harmed or unaffected by the relationship
● Results of coevolution
● Three types of symbiosis
● Mutualism
● Commensalism
● Parasitism
Mutualism
● Symbiotic relationship in which both members benefit
● Ex: Mycorrihzal fungi and plant roots
● Fungus grows around and into roots providing roots with otherwise unavailable
nitrogen from soil
● Roots provide fungi with food produced by photosynthesis in the plant

Left: root growth without fungi Right: root growth with fungi
 Commensalism
● Symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither harmed
nor helped
● Ex: epiphytes and tropical trees

● Epiphytes anchors itself to the

tree, but does not take nutrients
from the tree
● Epiphyte benefits from getting
closer to sunlight, tropical tree is
not affected
 Parasitism
● Symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited and the other is
harmed
● Parasites rarely kill their hosts

o Ex: Varroa mites and honeybees

• Mites live in the breathing
tubes of the bees, sucking their
blood and weakening them
Predation
● The consumption of one species by
another
● Many predator-prey interactions
● Most common is pursuit and
ambush
● Plants and animals have established
specific defenses against predation
through evolution
Herbivore

A species which feeds on primary

producers - plants
Pursuit and Ambush
● Pursuing prey simply means chasing
it down and catching it
● Ex: Day gecko and spider (see
picture)
● Ambush is when predators catch prey
unaware
● Camouflage
● Attract prey with
colors or light
Plant Defenses Against Predation
● Plants cannot flee predators
● Adaptations
● Spikes, thorns, leathery leaves,
thick wax
● Protective chemicals that are
poisonous or unpalatable
Competition
● Interaction among organisms that vie
for the same resource in an ecosystem
● Intraspecific
● Competition between individuals
in a population
● Interspecific
● Competition between individuals
in 2 different species
Animal Defenses Against Predation
● Fleeing or running
● Mechanical defenses
● Ex: quills of porcupines, shell of
turtles
● Living in groups
● Camouflage
● Chemical defenses-
poisons
● Ex: brightly colored poison
arrow frog
Decomposer

A species which breaks down dead or

decomposing organisms to feed, e.g.
a woodlouse or a fly
LET’S PLAY KAHOOT

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BIOTIC INTERACTION- WORK SHEET.

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