Species interactions

The basis of emergence and existence of biocenoses is the relations of organisms, the contacts they have with each other inhabiting the same biotope. These contacts determine the basic conditions of species life in the community, the possibilities of obtaining food and conquering new space.

One popular approach is assessment of possible outcomes of contacts of two species. For each of them the result is taken as positive, negative or neutral.

Predation is one of the possible forms of energy transfer from living animal to living animal. In terms of behavior, it is the process through which an animal (the predator) captures and kills another animal (the prey) before eating the latter in part or completely. The concept of predation does not apply to interspecific relationships where one of the partners is not an animal. In particular, it excludes insectivorous plants as well as plant-eating animals.

Parasitism - relationship in which one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other organism (the host). The body-consumer uses in live host not only as food source, but also as a place of permanent or temporary residence. In fact, the typical parasitic nature has links pests with plants. Parasites are usually much smaller than its master.

Competition is an interaction between two or more species, which exploit the same resources, accessible in a limited amount. These interactions are negative since they diminish the amount of resources available to others or prevent others from obtaining them or both. There is interspecies and intraspecies competition.

Commensalism - a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the organism is not affected. Commensalism based on the consumption of residues of food hosts is also called scavenger. Such, for example, the relationship of lions and hyenas, pick up the remains of prey eaten by lions.

Mutualism - is a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit. Because the two organisms work closely together, they help each other survive.

In multicellular plants and animals symbiosis with microorganisms is widespread. Known coexistence of many species of trees with mycorrhizal fungi, legumes with nodule bacteria Rhizobium, fixing the molecular nitrogen from the air. Other examples - bacteria which the ability to digest wood, live within the digestive tracts of termites; plant roots provide food for fungi that break down nutrients the plant needs.

Neutralism is a form of biotic relation in which the cohabitation of two species in one area does not attract them either positive or negative effect. When neutrality species are not associated with each other directly, but depend on the state of the community as a whole.

In the case of amensalism, for one of the two interacting species, the effects of cohabitation are negative, while the other does not receive any harm or benefit. This form of interaction is more common in plants. For example, light-loving herbaceous species growing under a spruce, experience oppression as a result of strong shadowing of its crown, whereas for the tree their neighborhood may be indifferent.