Community Interactions

Competition is when organisms attempt to use the same limited ecological resources in the same place at the same time. There is intraspecific competition which occurs between members of the same species and interspecific comptetition which occurs within members of different species.

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/competition/11364518.jpg

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Predation is an interaction in which one animal (the predator) captures and feeds on another animal (the prey).

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuHuzgSmSTKT0L00EUZWRNIQlw-CMRzFFJnlX5j2BsAd-dqMN9JknQeepK21Uft2CNM7NdGQf9V3M-B0q156EUTcoGP4L1_W-234UKFMgOwNq4HZ9vx5_POZahZUuUPo00dgBgZwE_vzH/s1600/Michel_Volle_Predation.jpg

 

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Herbivory is an interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (mainly plants).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/White-tailed_deer_(Odocoileus_virginianus)_grazing_-_20050809.jpg/250px-White-tailed_deer_(Odocoileus_virginianus)_grazing_-_20050809.jpg

 

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Mutualism is a relationship between two species in which both of the species benefit. An example of this would be the red-billed oxpecker that eats ticks on the impala. The impala no longer has ticks and the oxpecker has something to eat.

http://www.scenicreflections.com/ithumbs/Red-billed-Oxpecker-On-Impala_Wallpaper__yvt2.jpg

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Parasitism is when one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms the organism. Only one benefits from this relationship. An example of this is mistletoe. It is not only a festive holiday decoration but a parasite. It is a parasite because it grows on trees and steals the food and water from the tree, eventually stunting its growth and killing it.

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/phle2303.jpg

 

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Commensalism is a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other does not but the other organism is not harmed either. An example of commensalism is a bird following an army ant raid on a forest floor. As the ants march along they stir up insects that the birds eat. The birds get food but the ants aren't affected in any way. They probably don't know what is going on.                                      

http://www.birdminds.com/AntBird.jpg

 

 

Organisms in Microcommunities

Definitions:
    Motile-organisms that are moving around
    Sessile-organisms that are stationary
    Producer-organism that is able to make its own "food" by using solar energy
    Consumer-organism that relies on other organisms for its energy
    Autotroph-organism that  captures energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce "food"
    Heterotroph-organism that obtains food by consuming other living things

Question: What kinds of organisms would you find in microcommunities?

Procedure: First, we set up our station with a microscope. Then we got a slide of pond water with a coverslip on top and put it underneath the microscope. We then looked through the microscope to see what microorganisms we could see. We found three different organisms: volvox, paramecium, and an amoeba.We then picked three other organisms we would like to learn about.

Materials: Microscope, pond water, slide, coverslip, and lab sheet.

Organisms:

Euglena: They can be both heterotrophs and autotrophs but they are mostly autotrophs. That means they are also mostly producers. They are motile.

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Volvox: They are producers and autotrophs. They are also motile.

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Paramecium: They are consumers and heterotrophic. They are also motile.

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Vorticella: They are consumers so they are heterotrophic. They are also sessile.

 

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Zygnema: They are producers and autotrophic. They are sessile.

 

 

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Amoeba: They are producers and autotrophic. They are motile.

 

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Conclusion:

     

      1. The role of microorganisms in a freshwater community would be to regulate the water. They might keep it clean and keep it at the right temperature. They might also take in nutrients in the water and cycle them through back into the water.

     2. The process of preparing a wet mount is to place the sample on the slide. Then use an eyedropper to put a drop of water on top of the sample. Then place one end of the coverslip on the side and slowly lower down the other side to try not to trap any air bubbles.

     3. The difference between a microorganism and a micro-community is that a microorganism is a microscopic organism that you can only see through a microscope. A micro-community is a small group of microorganisms of all different types of species together in one area.

 

Owl Pellet Lab

Question: What is an owl pellet and what does it contain?

Hypothesis: If an owl pellet is owl regurgitation then it will contain pieces of its diet.

Prior Knowlege: I knew that owl pellets were the regurgitation of an owl and not its feces like I originally thought. I remembered doing this same experiment in 6th grade. I remembered as well that you find bones and fur inside of the pellet.

Procedure: First we measured the length and width of the owl pellets. My owl pellet was 5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Then we checked to see if we could see any signs of fur or feathers. After that we took a dissecting needle and broke apart the pellet. We then used our hands and the needle to look at the different bones and take them out of the pellet. We placed all the bones on the paper towel. After we were done dissecting the pellets we put our data into a table on the back of our lab sheet and cleaned up.

Materials: Owl pellet,  dissecting needle, paper, and bone chart.

Data: We found that 2 rodent skulls, 4 mole/rodent jaws, 4 mole/rodent scapulas, 3 rodent forelimbs, 2 mole hindlimbs, 4 mole/rodent pelvic bones, around 30 mole/rodent ribs, and about 15 mole/rodent vertabrae.

Results: We determined that the owl that had regurgitated our pellet had eaten a mole and rodent before it regurgitated the pellet.

Analysis:
-Discussion/Interpretation: We now know that the digestive system of an owl does not digest bones and fur. From our experiment we also know that owl pellets are like an ecosystem of their own because they provide a habitat for moths, carpet beetles, fungi, and caterpillars.
-Errors/Uncertainities: The only thing that is uncertain about this experiment is the number of bones because some of the bones could have been broken in the owl pellet so we don't know the exact number of bones.
-Next Time: I don't think there is anything we would do differently next time.

Conclusion: Owl pellets are the regurgitation of owls. They contain bones, fur, and feathers. The bones are mostly of moles, rodents, shrews, or birds. Owl pellets are also habitats for many small organisms.