BIO SCI 94 Chapter Notes - Chapter 55: Natural Disaster, Insular Biogeography, Secondary Succession

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIO SCI 94
• Professor: Robin Bush

Document Summary

A biological community consists of all of the species that interact in a certain area. Species in a community interact constantly; in many cases, a population"s fate is tightly linked to the other species that share its habitat. To study the interactions, biologists first analyze effects of one species on the fitness of another. Commensalism occurs when one species benefits but the other species is unaffected (+/0) Competition occurs when individuals use the same resources - resulting in lower fitness for both (-/-) Consumption occurs when one organism eats or absorbs nutrients from another. The interactions increases the consumer"s fitness but decreases the victim"s fitness (+/-) Mutualism occurs when two species interact in a way that confers fitness benefits to both (+/+) Species interactions can affect the distribution & abundance of particular species. Species act as agents of natural selection when they interact. Coevolution - pattern of evolution where two species influence each other"s adaptations over time.