Chapter 5Biodiversity Species Interactions,

and Population ControlSEA OTTERS• Thick fur• Each day a sea otter consumes

about ¼ of it’s weight in clams, shellfish, abalone, crabs, etc.• Hunted almost to extinction by the

early 1900’s• Became an Endangered Species• Discovered they play a major role as

a keystone species in the kelp forests of the pacific.

Competition

• Intraspecific: Competition between members of the same species• Interspecific: Competition between members of different Species

Species Interactions(+) = benefit (-) = harm (0) = no affect•Mutualism +/+•Competition -/-•Commensalism +/0•Parasitism +/-•Amensalism -/0 •Predation +/-