4.1: Biotic Interactions
- Page ID
- 70802
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Until the late 1800s, Bison (Bison bison) numbered tens of millions in the Great Plains of the United States. By 1890, roughly 1000 Bison were left because the United States government campaign to eradicate the native people, their culture, and habitats they relied on. Slowly, a movement started to try and save Bison from extinction. It took until the early 2000’s for Bison numbers to reach a half a million. During this time, scientists were able to observe the Bison reintroduction back into the Great Plains. Bison were found to be the most critical species to restoring and maintaining the function and diversity in the Great Plains community. Both plants and animal populations in the community were strengthened from the return of the Bison. Understanding community dynamics is essential to conserving and restoring these systems and the species that define them. This is particularly critical for communities with one particular species that acts as a keystone to the health of the system.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): American bison with starlings on its back. (Image by NPS photos/Kim Acker (Public Domain))
Populations typically do not live in isolation from other species. Populations that interact within a given area form a community. The organisms that form a community are found in habitats, physical environments where organisms live; however, biotic (living) components are considered part of a community. Scientists study ecology at the community level to understand how species interact with each other and compete for the same resources.
Biotic interactions refer to the relationships among organisms. They can be intraspecific (between members of the same species) or interspecific (between members of different species). When at least one of the interactants is harmed, the relationship is called an antagonism. Trophic interactions, in which one species consumes another, are antagonisms. Competition is another antagonism in which species at the same trophic level (that eat the same things) interact through using the same resources. Interactions in which at least one species benefits and neither is harmed are called facilitation, which can be categorized as commensalism or mutualism.
Figure \(\PageIndex{a}\): A variety of biotic interactions occur among the species at The Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (top). For example, the Light-Footed Clapper Rail (bottom) benefits from the cordgrass in which it nests. However, predators such as red foxes harm this endangered bird. The refuge manages this harmful interaction by installing fencing to exclude the red fox, which historically did not occur in the area. Top image and bottom image by US Fish & Wildlife Service (public domain).
Attribution
Modified by Melissa Ha from Community Ecology from Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher (licensed under CC-BY)