Biological Communities - Symbiosis, Niches, and Biomes
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Ecology, Symbiosis, Competition For Resources, Niches, Biodiversity, and Biomes
Biology is the study of living things. Ecology is the branch of biology that studies the relationships between organisms and their environments. This biology resource page will focus on ecology and will cover various symbiotic interactions between species (mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism), niches, biodiversity, competition for resources between species, and biomes.
The image to the left is of some Clown Fish and Sea Anemones. Clown Fish and Sea Anemones engage in a mutualistic relationship as both benefit from living together. The Clown Fish benefits because the Sea Anemone keeps the Clown Fish safe from other fish. (Sea anemones are poisonous to most other organisms, but not to Clown Fish, therefore Clown Fish are safe from other fish while within the arms of the anemone.) The anemone benefits both by getting free "fertilizer" from the Clown Fish, and by being keep safe from certain other types of fish as the Clown Fish chases them away.
Our homeschool co-op is participating in a high school level class in biology this year. We use Holt Biology as the core of our curriculum, and add biology youtubes, labs, games, and other biology resources to enrich our study. This page is a collection of those additional resources for chapter 17 in Holt Biology on "Biological Communities." (I will be adding more to this page over time, so please check back again!)
photo by Nick Hobgood
Article © 2012 Janiece Tobey. All rights reserved.
The image to the left is of some Clown Fish and Sea Anemones. Clown Fish and Sea Anemones engage in a mutualistic relationship as both benefit from living together. The Clown Fish benefits because the Sea Anemone keeps the Clown Fish safe from other fish. (Sea anemones are poisonous to most other organisms, but not to Clown Fish, therefore Clown Fish are safe from other fish while within the arms of the anemone.) The anemone benefits both by getting free "fertilizer" from the Clown Fish, and by being keep safe from certain other types of fish as the Clown Fish chases them away.
Our homeschool co-op is participating in a high school level class in biology this year. We use Holt Biology as the core of our curriculum, and add biology youtubes, labs, games, and other biology resources to enrich our study. This page is a collection of those additional resources for chapter 17 in Holt Biology on "Biological Communities." (I will be adding more to this page over time, so please check back again!)
photo by Nick Hobgood
Article © 2012 Janiece Tobey. All rights reserved.
Holt Biology
This is the text that we're using along with the biology resources on this page for our homeschool co-op's biology class.
Holt Biology comes in CD, as well as a hardback version. You can purchase either version by visiting the link below.
Holt Biology
Amazon Price: $35.00 (as of 05/30/2012)
Used Price: $3.99
How Organisms Interact In Communities
Section 17.1
Coevolution, Symbiosis, Predation, Parasitism, Mutalism, Commensalism
Symbiotic Relationships - How Organisms Interact in Communities
17.1 in Holt Biology
1. Watch the three youtubes below. The first one is a movie (rather than just a collection of still pictures) and shows some interesting animal interactions! The second one is Paul Anderson's very helpful video he made for his students. The third one also teaches about mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism, and even gives a quiz at the end to see if you've learned what each means!
2. Read section 17.1 on "How Organisms Interact in Communities" in your text.
3. Answer the review questions in the text.
4. Study the vocabulary words (see below).
2. Read section 17.1 on "How Organisms Interact in Communities" in your text.
3. Answer the review questions in the text.
4. Study the vocabulary words (see below).
curated content from YouTube
How Organisms Interact In Communities
17.1 in Holt Biology
Vocabulary Words To Know
- Coevolution - When two species have evolved together in such a way that they both are of benefit to each other, we call this coevolution. An example is the bat and flower pictured in section 16.1 in our book. The flower provides food for the plant, and in turn the bat's wings aid in pollinating the plant.
- Predation - is related to the word "predator" and means the act of one organism killing and eating another.
- Secondary compounds - Theses are chemicals that some plants use to discourage animals from eating them. What is toxic to many insects is not always toxic to all though. Some animals have developed ways of eating a particular plant without being bothered by the chemicals.
- Symbiosis - is where two or more species live together. These relationships can be of benefit to both organisms, or only to one. If they are of benefit to only one organism, the other may be either unaffected by their relationship, or harmed by it.
- Mutualism - if both organisms benefit from the relationship, it's called mutualism.
- Parasitism is related to the word "parasites." In parasitism, one species not only feeds off, but also usually lives on (or in), another species. They don't kill their prey in order to eat them. Ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, and hookworms are all parasites. Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship in which one of the organisms is harmed by the other.
- Commensalism -is the type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
Competition and Communities
17.2
Niche (Fundamental Niche and Realized Niche), Competition, Biodiversity
How Competition Shapes Communities
17.2 in Holt Biology
1. Start this video around 2:50 to learn about fundamental niche, realized niche, competitive exclusion, and resource partitioning.
2. Read section 17.2 , "How Competition Shapes Communities," in your text.
3. Answer the review questions in the book.
4. Study the vocabulary (see below).
2. Read section 17.2 , "How Competition Shapes Communities," in your text.
3. Answer the review questions in the book.
4. Study the vocabulary (see below).
curated content from YouTube
How Competition Shapes Communities
17.2 in Holt Biology
Vocabulary Words To Know
- Competition is where two species use the same resource, such as food, light, water, nesting sites, living space, and nutrients. In other words, the two species "compete" for that resource.
- Niche - this is the "job" a particular organism performs within an ecosystem. A niche includes all the ways the organism interacts with its environment (what it eats, when it hunts, etc.). An excellent description of a niche, along with examples, can be found at: The Ecological Niche.
- Fundamental niche - all the resources available to a species. The fundamental niche includes not only the resources a species actually uses, but also what it could use but doesn't. The example in our text is of the bird who only eats insects at the top of spruce trees, even though those same insects are found elsewhere on the tree as well. In this case, the fundamental niche would include all the insects anywhere on the tree.
- A realized niche is smaller than a fundamental niche. The realized niche is only the part of a resource that the species actually uses. In the example in the book, all five species of Warblers ate insects from a different part of the tree, so although they shared the same fundamental niche, each had their own unique realized niche.
- Competitive exclusion - this is where two species are competing for a resource and the one that uses the resource less efficiently often dies out. In order to avoid competition exclusion, some species may divide the resources in such a way that they are no longer competing. Because the 5 species of birds in the example above were eating insects from different parts of the tree, they were not competing for food.
- Biodiversity - this refers to the variety of organisms living in a community. Predation can increase biodiversity because it reduces competition between species (and thus reduces the likelihood of competition exclusion.)
Biomes
17.3
Tropical Rain Forests, Savanna, Taiga, Tundra, Desert, Temperate Grassland, Temperate Forest
Terrestrial Biomes - 17.3
Large Biological Communities are called Biomes.
Tropical Rainforest Biome
Savanna Biome
Taiga Biome
Tundra Biome
Desert Biome
Temperate Grassland Biome
Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome
Temperate Evergreen Forest Biome
Photo credits:
photo of tropical rainforest biome by veggiegretz
photo of savanna by Marco Schmidt
photos of taiga biome by L.B. Brubaker (left) and Arthur Chapman (right).
photos of tundra biome by Sphinx (left) and B.navez (right).
photo of desert biome by Tomas Castelazo
photo of Temperate Grassland Biome by Dustin M. Ramsey
photo of Temperate Deciduous Forest biome by Vincent van Zeijst
photo of Temperate Evergreen Forest Biome by Dzz
You've now finished this section on Biological Communities!
You're ready for the next section on:
- Global Changes And The Environment
- This page covers topics such as acid rain, global warming and the greenhouse effect, the ozone layer, chemical pollution, the loss of topsoil, and the human population growth rate.
Biology
List of pages in this series
Homepage: Biology: Information, Videos, and Labs
Unit 1 on Cell Biology
Biology Labs, Activities, Videos, and Study Guides About Cells (Photosynthesis, Mitosis, Cell Organelles, and More)
Unit 2 on Genetics
Labs, Information, And Videos For High School Students Studying Genetics.
Unit 3 on The History of Life on Earth
The History Of Life On Earth.
Unit 4 on Ecology
Ecological Principles / Populations
Ecosystems
Biological Communities - Symbiosis, Niches, and Biomes
Global Changes And The Environment
Unit 5 on Diversity
An Introduction to Taxonomy - The Kingdoms and Domains Of Life
Learning About Viruses And Bacteria
Protists: Paramecium, Amoebas, Algae, Diatoms, Euglena, and Others
The Fungi Kingdom
Unit 6 on All About Plants
The Plant Kingdom
Unit 7 on The Animal Kingdom: Invertebrates
The Animal Kingdom - An Introduction
Sponges are Simple Animals
The Cnidarians: Jellyfish, Sea Anemones, Hydrozoans, and Corals
Earthworms, Christmas Tree Worms, Leeches, and Other Annelids
Check back later for additional biology units!
Unit 1 on Cell Biology
Biology Labs, Activities, Videos, and Study Guides About Cells (Photosynthesis, Mitosis, Cell Organelles, and More)
Unit 2 on Genetics
Labs, Information, And Videos For High School Students Studying Genetics.
Unit 3 on The History of Life on Earth
The History Of Life On Earth.
Unit 4 on Ecology
Ecological Principles / Populations
Ecosystems
Biological Communities - Symbiosis, Niches, and Biomes
Global Changes And The Environment
Unit 5 on Diversity
An Introduction to Taxonomy - The Kingdoms and Domains Of Life
Learning About Viruses And Bacteria
Protists: Paramecium, Amoebas, Algae, Diatoms, Euglena, and Others
The Fungi Kingdom
Unit 6 on All About Plants
The Plant Kingdom
Unit 7 on The Animal Kingdom: Invertebrates
The Animal Kingdom - An Introduction
Sponges are Simple Animals
The Cnidarians: Jellyfish, Sea Anemones, Hydrozoans, and Corals
Earthworms, Christmas Tree Worms, Leeches, and Other Annelids
Check back later for additional biology units!
Guestbook
Comments? Questions?
Are you studying biology?
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BryanLSC
Apr 21, 2012 @ 12:11 pm | delete
- Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome is the best! But wait, where is the equally beautiful tropical rainforest biome?
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Janiece Apr 21, 2012 @ 12:25 pm | delete
- Thanks for all your visits and comments on my biology pages! Yes, the rainforest is beautiful! And it's mentioned on this page. Just scroll up a little ways. It's there. :-) I wouldn't forget the rainforest!!
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BryanLSC
Apr 21, 2012 @ 1:28 pm | delete
- A thousand apologies, just now when I was reading it, I guess that particular image of the rainforest must have failed to load! Sigh, my faulty internet... Sorry!
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baby-strollers
Dec 10, 2011 @ 10:51 pm | delete
- Very informative lens!
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ajgodinho Dec 10, 2011 @ 5:06 pm | delete
- You've been putting together very useful resources for your homeschool co-op. This is another great addition!
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Tipi
Dec 9, 2011 @ 5:23 pm | delete
- ...I love this!
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Tipi
Dec 9, 2011 @ 5:22 pm | delete
- Another work of awesomeness that I would love to have had when I was home schooling my children...you are definitely a teacher's teacher my dear...excellence is simply your habit in all things!
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traveller27
Dec 9, 2011 @ 12:46 pm | delete
- Well done - blessed by a travelling angel.
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About the Author
© 2012 Janiece Tobey. All rights reserved.
Page last updated 5/29/12.
Page last updated 5/29/12.
by Janiece
Hi! I'm an author, a vegetarian, and a homeschooling mom. I'm currently writing a book about various types of spiritual experiences women often report... more »
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![Vincent van Zeijst]("http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River_Pr%C3%BCm_between_Pr%C3%BCmzurlay_und_Irrel,_Rhineland-Palatinate,_Germany.JPG""){kind=link}