The Interactions in the Ecosystem

1. The Interactions in the
Ecosystem

2. Objectives:

3. Write SP if the plant is spore-bearing and
CP if it is cone-bearing.

5. Ecology

6. Ecosystem

7. Biotic Components

9. Abiotic components

11. Every organism in an ecosystem has a niche or
a role to play:

13. Terrestrial Ecosystem:
Tropical Rainforests

16. Emergent Layer of the Rainforest
It has enormous, umbrella-shaped trees that
take up plenty of sunlight.
These trees are also exposed to winds that
can dry up their leaves.
Many of these trees have small, pointed
leaves. In the Philippines, plants and trees
such as Bamboo, Talisay, and Narra are found
in the emergent layer.

17. Animals such as orangutans, monkeys,
and birds such as hornbills and eagles
also live in this layer. Bats and butterflies
are also visible in the emergent layer of
tropical rainforests.

18. Canopy Layer of the
Rainforest
It is divided into upper and lower
canopies. The upper canopy is below
the emergent layer. Plenty of sunlight
is readily available in here, blocking
light exposure for the lower canopy.

19. Canopy
Layer of
the
Rainfore
st
Woody vines such as lianas
climb and attach themselves to
the trunk of tall trees to get
support and obtain enough
sunlight to survive.
Philippine lianas include rattan
palms that are used for making
baskets, ropes, and decorations.
Epiphytes such as philodendrons
can also be found in this layer.

20. Rattan Palm Epiphytes

23. Canopy Layer
of the
Rainforest

25. Forest
Floor

26. Giant millipedes, frogs,
snakes, lizards, and some
insects also live in this
layer.
There are no dominant
species in any layer of
the tropical rainforest.
Each plant or animal
thrives in the layer that it
inhabits depending on
the conditions it favors.

27. termites
earthworm
fungi
millipede
ome organisms that occupy the forest floor

28. Forest
Floor

29. •Some trees have oil-coated leaves to repel
water.
•The tall trees get plenty of sunlight but they
need to withstand other factors such as high
temperature, low humidity, and strong winds.
•Some taller trees tend to have darker,
leathery leaves so they will not lose water
from the strong sunlight.
•Smaller plants survive as epiphytes, or plants
that grow on another plant as support, but

31. •Some trees, such as the
kapok, have buttresses
and stilts, or roots that act
as extra support.
•Vines have tendrils that
coil and crawl on the trees
for support.
•Ferns and mosses also
grow and depend on their
host trees or other plants.

32. The tropical rainforests in the Philippines can be
found in Eastern Visayas and in Mindanao.
Lowland rainforests in Davao, South Cotabato,
Cagayan de Oro, Samar, Bohol, Leyte, Basilan,
Biliran, and Palawan are home to many animals and
plants as well.
There are also endemic species that are found in the
Philippine rainforests, such as the Palawan peacock,
the tamaraw (dwarf buffalo) and the tree frog in
Mindoro, the Luzon peacock swallowtail, the
bleeding-heart pigeon in Negros, the narrow-
mouthed frog in Catanduanes, and the Philippine

33. These rainforests have wet and dry seasons.
Contrary to the belief, not all tropical
rainforests receive a high amount of rain.
The temperature in these ecosystems can rise
as high as 34 degrees Celsius (°C) and can
drop to as low as 20°C.
The humidity, or the average amount of
vapor in the, is between 77% and 88%.
The temperature in these ecosystems is ideal
for the growth and survival of different

34. Symbiotic Relationship and Interactions
of Organisms
•Different organisms coexist within the
ecosystem. This interaction means that these
organisms depend on each other for food and
shelter.
Symbiotic
Relationship-
•The long-term relationship that exists
between two organisms.

35. In a tropical rainforest, some animals are
predators, and some serve as prey.
The predators eat the weaker organism
called the prey.
The frog or lizard, for example, eats
insects.
Snakes, owls, or eagles eat small birds.

36. Frogs use their long elastic tongues to catch flying insects.

38. There are small animals such as ants and
small birds that live in the trees.
They protect the trees from other insects
and vines.
Because of this, the tree grows more
quickly.
This type of relationship is called is
mutualism, wherein two organisms benefit

39. The ants and birds use the tree as their
shelter.
The tree gets protection from other
organisms.

41. There are cases wherein one organism
benefits, but the other organism is
unaffected. One example is the
epiphyte that gets support from the
trees to obtain more sunlight and
nutrients from the air. The tree is
neither harmed nor does it benefit
from the relationship. This is called
commensalism.

43. There are cases wherein two or more
animals fight for the same food, or
trees compete to get more sunlight.
This relationship is called competition.

46. Organisms in the tropical rainforests
also interact with the abiotic
components to survive and live. For
instance, plants manufacture their own
food through photosynthesis. They
need sunlight and carbon dioxide to
do this.

47. All plants and animals need sunlight,
water, food, and air to live. Terrestrial
plants need soil and rocks to stand
upright. Worms and some insects live
in the soil and speed up the
decomposition of dried leaves, wastes,
and dead animals so they can be used
again by the plants.

48. Aquatic Ecosystem: Coral Reefs
•A coral reef is an aquatic ecosystem for
different marine plants, animals, and other
organisms.
•Only about 0.1% of the ocean area has coral
reefs, but these reefs support 25% of the
marine life on Earth.
•A coral reef is actually the exoskeleton of a

49. Aquatic Ecosystem: Coral Reefs
•When the corals grow, multiply and split
into two, they leave their outer skeletons
behind.
•These skeletons are made of calcium or
limestone that stay together in a fixed
position.
•These skeletons gradually build up to form

50. There are four types of coral reef
formations:

51. •This is commonly
found near the
coastline or in places
where the water is
shallow. It is the most
common type of reef.
It is separated from
the shore by narrow,
shallow lagoons.

52. •This is parallel with the
shore, but it is
separated by deeper,
wiser lagoons. It forms
a “barrier” to
navigation at the
shallowest point,
where it reaches the

53. •This is a circular reef
with open lagoons
that is usually
located in the middle
of the sea. One
example is the
Tubbataha reef in

54. •This is a small,
isolated reef that
usually occurs
between fringing
reefs and barrier
reefs.

55. •Aside from providing shelter and habitat to
many marine animals and other species,
coral reefs also give numerous benefits.
•Coral reefs are sources of nitrogen and
other essential nutrients for aquatic
organisms.
•They also protect coastlines from damage
that the waves and tropical storms bring.

56. •The fishing industry also depends on them
as they are the breeding ground of fishes.
•Studying the growth changes of coral reefs
also provides clear and scientific-based
findings about the effects of human
activities and climate change

57. •Coral reefs also support different types of
symbiotic relationships among these
marine animals and other organisms.
Mutualism happens between coral polyps
and zooxanthellae (a symbiotic
dinoflagellate organism).