Ecological NetworksNathan Crum

Ecology

• Study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

• Study of ecosystems– Ecosystem- web/network of relationships of

organisms to each other and their environment

Food Webs

• Illustrates predation, herbivory, decomposition, and biotic-abiotic interactions

Other Interactions

• Competition– Interspecific and Intraspecific

• Mutualism• Parasitism• Commensalism

Niches

• Resource Partitioning- differentiation of niches allowing species to coexist– Difference between fundamental and realized

niche– Leads to character displacement

Keystone Species

• Larger effect on ecosystem than population size would suggest– Ex. Sea Otters and Starfish

The Fluidity of Ecosystems

• Biomanipulation- altering the density of high level consumers to control the density of organisms in lower trophic levels

Abiotic Factors

• Abiotic environment is a hub– The Sun– Water– Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide– Soil– Temperature