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Species Interaction (Herbivory (Herbivory is the act of eating only plant…
Species Interaction
Herbivory
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Certain types of beetle may feed voraciously on the leaves / foliage of crop plants (folivores), causing crop failure
Fruit-eating animals (frugivores) spread the seeds from a fruit in their faeces, promoting overall seed dispersal
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Predation
Predation is a biological interaction whereby one organism (predator) hunts and feeds on another organism (prey)
If the prey population drops (e.g. due to over-feeding), predator numbers will dwindle as intra-specific competition increases
If the prey population rises, predator numbers will increase as a result of the over-abundance of a food source
Symbiosis
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Types of symbiosis
Mutualism – Both species benefit from the interaction (anemone protects clownfish, clownfish provides fecal matter for food)
Commensalism – One species benefits, the other is unaffected (barnacles transported to plankton-rich waters by whales)
Parasitism – One species benefits to the detriment of the other species (ticks or fleas feed on the blood of their canine host)
Mutualism
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Properties
Honey bees gather food (nectar) from flowers and distributes pollen between plants (mediating plant life cycle)
Plover birds pick food morsels from between the jaws of crocodiles, cleaning the crocodiles teeth in the process
Zooxanthellae (algae) photosynthesise within the protective environment of the polyp’s endodermis (feeding the coral)
Commensalism
Commensalism describes an ongoing interaction between two species whereby one benefits and the other is unaffected
Properties
Remora attach to the underside of larger predatory fish (e.g. sharks) and feed off the uneaten food scraps
Monarch butterflies can safely store poisonous chemicals produced by milkweeds, discouraging predators from eating it
Decorator crabs remove small fragments of tissue from sea sponges and uses them as a source of camouflage
Parasitism
Parasitism describes an ongoing interaction between two species whereby one species benefits at the other's expense
Properties
Ticks infest the skin and fur of host animals (such as humans), feeding off the host and potentially causing disease
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Tongue-eating louses eat the tongue of a fish (it may then function as a replacement tongue – stealing ingested food)