This document provides a summary of different types of species interactions presented by Nada Sillo Balohho at Mwenge University in Tanzania in June 2011. It defines key terms like species and interaction, and categorizes species interactions as either positive (e.g. mutualism, commensalism) or negative (e.g. competition, predation). Examples are given for each type of interaction and how they influence the fitness of species involved. The conclusion emphasizes that species interactions are important for ecosystem balance and biodiversity.

1. BIOGEOGRAPHY.
SPECIES INTERACTIONS.
Presented by:-
NADA SILLO BALOHHO-Dip Educ(Morogoro
TCC),Bed Arts MWUCE).
MWENGE UNIVERSITY-MOSHI TANZANIA.
JUNE 2011.
1

2. QUESTION NO 03.
Giving examples; discuss the different types
of species interactions and show how each
type of interaction influences the fitness of
each type of interaction.
2

3. SPECIES INTERACTIONS.
 Meaning:-
-species.
-interactions.
-species interactions.
 Categories:-
-positive interactions.
-negative interactions
3

4. POSITIVE INERACTIONS.
• Mutualism.
• Commensalism.
• Reproduction.
• Protection/inhibition.
• Proto-cooperation.
4

5. NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS
• Competition.
• Amensalism.
• Herbivory.
• Parasitism.
• Predation.
5

6. SPECIES.
• Is a group of organisms that are able to
reproduce together, it can also be said that
species is a group of individuals or things that
have similar characteristics and or qualities.
• Species is a group of organism that have a
unique characteristics that distinguish them
from other organisms.
6

7. INTERACTION.
• Means interrelation or association between
phenomena.
• If two things interact, the two have an effect
on each other(oxford advance
dictionary.pg782).
7

8. SPECIES INTERACTION.
• This refer to direct and indirect
interrelationship or association between
different organisms, it could be plants and
plants, plants and animals and animals and
animals as well as micro organisms like
bacteria, fungi and the like.
8

9. POSITIVE INTERACTION.
• Is the mutual association or relationship
between animals and animals, plants and
plants, and plants and animals.
9

10. NEGATIVE INTERACTION.
• Is the category of interaction through which
one species of organism benefit and the result
to reduction or total exclusion of a certain
species.
10

11. MUTUALISM
• Is the type of symbiotic relationship where two
species of organisms live together and benefit
from the interaction.
• -facultative mutualism.
• -obligatory mutualism.
e.g. aunts and small trees the Acacia.
• -a fascinating mutualism.
e.g. Boran people and honey guard.
11

12. HONEY GUIDE BIRB
12

13. EXAMPLES MUTUALISM.
-Protozoan that live in gut of termites.
-Process of pollination, birds and
insects transfer pollen while birds
and insects get nectar.
13

14. TERMITES MUTUALISM.
14

15. MUTUALISM EXAMPLES.
15

16. COMMENSALISM
• Is the relationship where one species derives a
benefit from other species and the other
species is not harmed by the relationship nor
does it benefit from it.
16

17. EXAMPLES OF COMMENSALISM
• The cattle egret, this birds stirs the bugs that
live on the cattle and eats them. The bird is
benefited however the cattle does not benefit
nor is the cattle negatively affected.
• Another example is in the forest there are
number of vines, mosses, lichens, and
climbing plants that use trunks and branches
of trees for support or substrate.
Cont------------
17

18. COMMENSALISM.
18

19. COMMENSALISM.
19

20. COMMENSALISM
• Another example is that of clown fish and
anemone, the clown fish tend to hides from
enemies within the stinging tentacles of a sea
anemone to which the clown fish is immune.
20

21. CLOWN FISH AND ANEMONE
21

22. REPRODUCTION.
• This means the act or process of producing
babies, young animals, or plants. (Oxford
Dictionary, pg 1253).
• One of the first phase in the sexual
reproduction is the location of mate.
• This may occur by the advertisement by one
sex of its whereabouts using scent (the
phenomena of female moths)
• Cont--------------
22

23. REPRODUCTION.
• OR sound (croaking in some species of frog) or
sight (light in glow worms.
• The selection of mate often includes
competition between individuals of the same
sex, either males for females or more rarely
females for males. In red deer for example
males compete without fighting and the
female chose the attractive one.
• Cont-------------
23

24. REPRODUCTION.
• The other example is peacock and birds of
paradise, competition between females for
males occur in the jacanas which are small
water birds.(Chapman and Reiss.1999.pg 101.)
24

25. PROTO-COOPERATION.
• Means cooperation in which organisms or
species can come together for food
manufacture and when one species left alone
can also stand alone for its own food
manufacture. It is further considered as an
interrelation which benefit both partners but is
not obligatory.
• Cont----------
25

26. EXAMPLES.
• For example when a tree roots grow and come
into contact and develop natural grafting
leading to mutual union which very important
for photosynthesis when one is deep rooted,
the deep rooted can assist the shallow rooted
type of plant in absorbing water on the
ground, when the deep rooted disappear it
wont affect the existence of shallow rooted
plant.
26

27. PROTECTION/INHIBITION.
• Is a mechanism, either physiological or
mechanical which flora and fauna have
developed to better protect themselves.
• Many organisms attempting to avoid
predation use other organism for protection.
• Cont----------
27

28. PROTECTION/INHIBITION.
• Some organisms gain protection from
predation by using the defense mechanism of
another species. Some moth have living
patterns that imitates back or leaves of trees.
• The canniber moth caterpillar eats the
poisonous rag wart plant and concentrates the
plants toxic in its own tissues.
• Cont---------
28

29. PROTECTION/INHIBITION.
• The caterpillars are brightly colored with black
and yellow stripes to warn birds that they are
unpleasant to eat.
• Some edible species even copy the warning
colorations of harmful ones to gain protection
(Chapman &Reiss, 1999.pg 103)
• Cont--------
29

30. PROTECTION/INHIBITION.
• Another example of protection is of human to
inhibition of other species through the use of
pest-sides, herbicides, fire, tilling, weeding,
and land cleaning
(www.wcupa.edu.accer/amigos/cd/species_inte
ractions.htm). In this way crop are protected
where as weeds, insect and pest are destroyed
by human beings.
30

31. COMPETITION.
• This means two consumer share the same
resources, each reduces the availability of
resources of the other.
• Competition may be an indirect result of other
type of interactions.
• In both animals and plants competition may
occur at any time during the life cycle;
• Cont-------
31

32. COMPETITION.
• Between sperms or actively growing pollen
tubes for chance to fertilize an egg;
• Between embryo in the womb for parental
nutrients;
• Between seedlings for light and space;
• Between offspring in the same litter or in the
different litters in the same social group;
(Chapman &Reiss, 1999.pg 102)
Cont------------- 32

33. COMPETITION.
• The outcome of these competition is one
organism to loose, that is to die or become
weak or diminish.
• It is important to know that competition occur
between individuals within a species and
among different species for environmental
resources such as food, space, light, water as
well as mineral nutrients.
33

34. COMPETITION.
34

35. A COMPETITION-FACILITATION
CONTINUUM
Facilitation: nurse plants
Individuals of one species
facilitate the germination
and growth of a second
species
An example: ironwood in
desert provides protected
sites for the establishment of
cacti (later competition for
nutrient, water and light)
35

36. HERBIVORY.
• Is the process of consuming whole or part of
the plant by a consumer.
• It fall under negative interaction when it
happen that herbivorus example goat, cow, or
antelope eats plants, normally what happen
there it destroy the particular plant and
therefore affect the pattern of growth and
distribution while herbivores receive
nuitrients.
• Cont-------- 36

37. HERBIVORY.
• Example when a cow eats grasses the cow
benefit while grass lose or diminish.
consumer (cow)+ Resource (Grass) -
37

38. INSECTIVOROUS EXAMPLES.
38

39. AMENSALISM.
• Is an interaction that depresses one organism
while the other remain stable, this is really
seen in a temperate woodlands clearing where
wider variety of quick growing herbs such as
RANUNCULUS (bitter cup)
• Cont-------
39

40. AMENSALISM.
and grasses (GRAMINEAE) soon develop in
brighter sunshine but then die as the more
slowly growing tree species such as BIRCH
(Behila) or beech (fungus) spread out their
leaves and shade the
ground.(Knapp,1994.pg278).
40

41. RANUNCULUS AND GRAMINAEA
RANUNCULUS
GRAMINAEA
41

42. AMMENSALISM
BIRCH TREE
42

43. PARASITISM.
-Parasitism: a relationship of two organisms
living together (symbiosis) and one derives its
nourishment at the expense of the other
-Parasite and host
-Parasitism has
• Negative effect on hosts
• But do not usually kill hosts 43

44. PARASITE
Parasite consists of a wide range of organisms,
including
• Virus, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and
invertebrates (include arthropods)
• 50% of the species on Earth (typically feed
on only one or a few host species).
44

45. HOSTS PROVIDE HABITATS
FOR PARASITES
 Hosts are the habitats for parasites
 Depends on the places:
– Ectoparasites: live on the skin within the protective cover
of feathers and hair
– Endoparasites: live within the host
Examples:
Fleas, ticks, are ectoparasites
Liver flukes, lung flukes, flatworms, are endoparasites
45

46. PARASITISM.
FUNGUS. 46

47. PARASITE LIFE CYCLE.
47

48. PREDATION.
• This occurs when one organism feed on
another through which one organism benefit
by receiving nutrients while the other lose.
• All organisms have to feed on other
organism(Chapman & Reiss, 1999.pg 102-103)
• Insectivores and carnivores are all involved in
inter-specific interaction.
• Cont---------
48

49. PREDATION.
• The evolutionary pressure on predators to be
good at locating and consuming their prey and
on potential victims to be good at avoiding
being eaten causes a constant struggle
between individuals of both species for
survival resulting in dynamic co-
evolution(Chapman & Reiss, 1999.pg 102-103)
• Cont------
49

50. PREDATION
and failure to get or locate and consume or to
avoid being eaten which result to total
dismissal of a particular species.
50

51. PREDATION
NOTE:
Co –evolution implies that as one
organism/species evolves particular
characteristic the other species also evolve in
response to this; the first then evolve in
response to the response of the second and
so on. (Chapman & Reiss, 1999.pg 256)
51

52. PREDATION.
52

53. CONLUSION.
• The concept of species interactions is a wide
and vital question to the survival of species.
• It is a concept that must be viewed in a
broader perspective of the ecosystem.
• The species interactions both positive and
negative which ranges from mutualism to
competition among individuals of the same
and among other species is instrumental in
explaining the concepts of natural balance in
an ecosystem.
• Cont----------- 53

54. -The issue of biodiversity within the ecosystem
is only possible through species interactions.
-In a nut shell no species that can survive /exist
in its own without a minimum degree of
interaction within itself or with other species.
-This implies that the species interactions helps
to clarify and justify the issues of
interrelationships, association and
interdependence among species in the
ecosystem in terms of space and time. It is
capitalized here that species interactions is key
to the natural balance in the ecosystem.
54

55. TYPES OF INTERACTIONS.
COMMENSALISM
Wren makes nest
without affecting cactus
COMPETITION Fox and coyote
are
predators of same prey
MUTUALISM Yucca moth
pollinates PREDATION Kit fox
and lays eggs on yucca flowers; hunts
moth larvae spread yucca seeds and feeds on kangaroo
rat 55

56. QUESTION NO 03.
RESEACHED, DISCUSSED, COMPILED AND
PRESENTED BY NADA SILLO BALOHHO.
THANK YOU FOR CAREFUL LERNING, LISTENING
AND WRITING .
WELCOME FOR ADDITIONAL:-
-COMMENTS.
-OPINIONS.
-QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.
56

57. REFERENCES
• Amazon Center for Environmental Education
and Research.(NO DATE) Species (Retrieved on
27/05/2011 at 17.20pm) www.answers.com.
• Chapman, L. J and Reiss, J. M. (1999). Ecology
Principles and Applications. United Kingdom:
Cambridge University Press.
57

58. REFERENCES
• Heller, H.C (2005).Species interactions
(Retrieved on 26/05.2011 at 20.30).
(www.global change. Umich.edu/globalch
• Hornby, A.S.(2010). Oxford Advance Learners
Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University press.
• Knapp, B. (1994). Systematic Geography.
London: Butter and Tanner Ltd.
58

59. REFERENCES
• Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry
(2006).Species interactions (Retrieved on
26/05/2011 at
20.20pm)www.wcupa.edu/aceer/amigos/cd.s
pecies_interactions.htm.
• Taylor, B.J.(2003).Biological Science. Prentice
Hall, Inc. A Pearson Company
• Waugh, D. (2000). An Integrated Approach
Geography (3rd Ed.).London: Nelson
Publishers 59