interdependance

interdependance

animals compete for food, water, shelter and mates.
1. plants compete for light, water and minerals
better adapted competitors will get most of the resources, so they can survive & produce offspring
the interdependence of organisms determines their distribution and abundance
predators are animals that kill and eat other animals.
1. animals that are eaten are prey
prey will always outnumber predators
there will be cyclical fluctuations in the number of each species because the number of predator and prey regulate each other
some organisms survive living off others
1. these are parasites
  1. organism they live off is HOST organism
parasites can make the host ill or kill them
in mutualistic relationships both organisms form a relationship they both benefit from
1. e.g. oxpecker birds live on a buffalos back
oxpecker benefits by getting a ready supply of food from flies and ticks on buffalos skin
1. buffalo benefits by getting pests eating by the oxpeckers
  1. birds hiss when predators approach
organisms performing this function, such as oxpecker birds are known as 'cleaner' species

Resource summary

	Created by alicekilcullen almost 12 years ago