What is an ecosystem?
Ecosystem refers to the communities of
organisms.
-It is a biological community of interacting
organisms and their physical environment.
Biological Communities
A Community, also called biological
community, in biology, an interacting group
of various species in a common location.
The various species in a community
each occupy their own ecological niche.
The niche of a species includes all of its
interactions with other members of the
community.
NICHE
Niche, in ecology , all of the
interactions of a species with
the other members of its
community.
The niche of an organism is the functional
role that it plays within an ecosystem.
ECOLOGICAL
RELATIONSHIPS
ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS
Ecology is the study of the
interrelationship between plants,
animals and their environment.
6 TYPES OF ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS
1. PROTOCOOPERATION
2. MUTUALISM
3. COMMENSALISM
4. PARASITISM
5. COMPETITION
6. PREDATION
1. PROTOCOOPERATION
It the relationship or interaction
between organisms of different species
in which both organisms benefit.
The relationship that benefit each other (+/+).
EXAMPLES:
▪ Insects and flowers
▪ Aphids and ants
▪ Black house ants and mealybugs
▪ Starlings and buffalos
▪ Hermit crabs and sea anemones
▪ Bees and flowers
Their mutually beneficial relationship ensures plants are
pollinated and, in turn, rewards pollinators with food sources of nectar
and pollen.
▪ Butterflies and flowers
▪ Black house ants and mealybugs
The ants benefit by feeding on the honeydew produced and
in return they protect the mealybugs from predators and parasites.
▪ Aphids(plant lice) and ants
▪ Starlings and buffalos
Starlings usually attacked buffalo body to look for lice that are in his skin.
Starlings benefit because they can eat ticks for free, while the buffalo
gets the benefit because itching caused by ticks can be slightly
reduced.
▪ Hermit crabs and sea anemones
The sea anemone eats scraps of food that the hermit crab releases as
she eats, and the hermit crab is protected from predators like the octopus by
the painful sting of the sea anemone's tentacles
2. MUTUALISM
It is relationship between living
organisms of different species in which both
of them benefit, and they are dependent or
live together all the time. If they are
separated, they cannot survive.
The relationship that benefit each other (+/+).
EXAMPLES:
▪ Lichens and protozoa in the
termite’s gut.
▪ Bacteria in the nodes of the
legume roots
▪ Lichens and protozoa in the
termite’s gut
3. COMMENSALISM
It is an interaction whereby one
organism benefits, but the other does not or
is even disadvantaged. If they are separated,
each of them can live normally.
The relationship that
1 benefit and the other does not (+/0).
EXAMPLES:
▪ Vine climbs and covers a tree
▪ A pilot fish binds a shark
▪ A bird makes a nest on a tree
▪ A barnacle attaches itself to
an aquatic organism
4. PARASITISM
It is an interaction which one organism
benefits, but the other is harmed. The organism
that benefits is called parasite, and the one
that is harmed is called a host.
The relationship that
1 benefit and the other does not (+/-).
EXAMPLES:
▪ Parasites in the bodies of
humans or animals
▪ Ticks on dog’s skin
▪ Dodders or parasitic plants on trees
▪ Lice on humans’ heads
5. COMPETITION
It is relationship when
organisms compete for the
same resources that both
organisms may benefit.
EXAMPLES:
▪ Plants compete for nutrition
▪ A dog pack competes for food
▪ Trees compete for sunlight
▪ Rock barnacles compete for shelter
6. PREDATION
It is an interaction when
predator gains benefit, i.e. food,
but the prey is harmed.
EXAMPLES:
▪ A cat catches rats
▪ A snake eat frogs
▪ A frog eats insects
▪ Bigger fish eats smaller fish
▪ Lion eats a zebra
What is Symbiotic Relationships?
• For the other species, the relationship
Symbiosis is a close may be positive, negative, or neutral.
relationship
between two
species in which at
least one species
benefits.
3 Basic Types of Symbiosis
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
EXERCISES
1. A lichen is a combination of fungus and algae that lives on the sides
of trees, rocks, and other materials. The fungus provides the algae with water
and minerals and the algae uses the water and minerals to make food
for both organisms. What type of relationship does the lichen represent?
a. Parasitism
b. Mutualism
c. Commensalism
Mutualism
2. How does a crocodile benefit from
a bird eating from its mouth?
a. It gets to eat the bird
b. It gets its teeth cleaned.
c. It gets a defense against flies
b. It gets its teeth cleaned.
3. How do people benefit from
bacteria in their intestines?
a. The bacteria prevents humans from getting sick.
b. The bacteria allows humans to eat a wider variety of foods
c. The bacteria allows humans to longer without eating
b. The bacteria allows humans
to eat a wider variety of foods.
4. The harmed species in a
parasitic relationship is called:
a. The Occupant
b. Parasite
c. The host
c. The host
5. The remora hitch a ride and feed on scraps of food
left by sharks. The remora benefit from this relationship while
sharks are unaffected. What is type of relationship is this?
a. Commensalism
b. Mutualism
c. Parasitism
a. Commensalism
2 TYPES OF HABITAT
Terrestrial Habitat
Aquatic Habitat
TERRESTRIAL HABITAT
A habitat in which the
community of living
organisms lives on a
landform (land) such as
a log or grasslands.
TERRESTRIAL HABITAT
Forests
Grasslands
Deserts
Rainforests
AQUATIC HABITAT
A habitat in which the
community of living
organisms lives in water
environment (water) such as
pond or a marine.
TYPLES OF AQUATIC HABITAT
Freshwater Habitat
Marine Habitat
What is a Non-Living things?
Non-Living things are
things that were once alive
or have never been alive.
These do not need the basic necessities of
living things. These do not reproduce, grow and
change, or respond to changes in the
environment.
2 Types of Non-Living Things
Natural
Man-made
Man-made
Man-made Non-Living
Things which means that
people make them.
Natural
Natural Non-Living
Things which means they are
found in nature and are not
made by man.
