Godavari Foundation’s
DR. ULHAS PATIL ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL,
SAVDA
2021-2022
Biology Project
TOPIC:
‘POPULATION INTERACTIONS’
SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:
NAME: AKASH MOHAPATRA MS. SHARMILA RAUT
CLASS: XII
ROLL NO: 95
Godavari Foundation’s
Dr. Ulhas Patil English Medium School, Savda
Tal. Raver, Dist. Jalgaon
Ph. 02584-223455/57
CBSE Affiliation No. 1130267
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project work entitled “POPULATION INTERACTIONS” is a record of
the original work done by “AKASH MOHAPATRA” Class XII, Enrolment No. 95 of Dr. Ulhas
Patil English Medium School, Savda for the fulfillment of practical work of Biology
prescribed by CBSE in the year 2021-22.
Principal Signature
Examiner: Teacher In-charge:
Signature Date:
Date: School Seal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The successful completion of any task would be incomplete without
mentioning the names of those people who helped to make it possible. I take
this opportunity to egress my gratitude in few words and respected to all those
who helped me in the completion of this project.
It is my humble pleasure to acknowledge my deep sense of gratitude to my
Biology teacher, Ms. Sharmila Raut for her valuable support, constant help
and guidance at each and every stage, without which this project would not
come forth.
I also register my sense of gratitude to our principal, Mrs. Bharti Mahajan,
for her immense encouragement that has made this project successful.
I would also like to thank my friends and family for encouraging me during
this project.
Last but not the last; I would like to thank CBSE for giving us the
opportunity to undertake this project.
POPULATION INTERACTION (Introduction)
Biological interactions are the effects that the organisms in a community
have on one another. In the natural world no organism exists in absolute
isolation, and thus every organism must interact with the environment and
other organisms. An organism's interactions with its environment are
fundamental to the survival of that organism and the functioning of the
ecosystem as a whole.
In Ecology, biological interactions can involve individuals of the same
species (intraspecific interactions) or individuals of different species
(interspecific interactions). These can be further classified by either the
mechanism of the interaction or the strength, duration and direction of their
effects. Species may interact once in a generation (e.g pollination) or live
completely within another (e.g endosymbiosis). Effects range from
consumption of another individual (predation, herbivory or cannibalism) to
mutual benefit(mutualism). Interactions need not be direct; individuals may
affect each other indirectly through intermediaries such as shared resources
or common enemies.
IMPORTANT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TWO SPECIES
By comparing populations living alone and together, several types of
interactions can be identified.
• COMMENSALISM (+/0)
• MUTUALISM (+/+)
• COMPETITION (-/-)
• PARASITISM (+/-)
• PREDATION (+/-)
• ALLELOPATHY (+/-)
POPULATION INTERACTIONS INFLUENCE ABUNDANCE
When populations of different species interact, the effects on one on the other
may be positive (+), negative (-) or neutral (0).
Table 1.: Population Interactions
Species A Species B Name of Interaction
+ + Mutualism
- - Competition
+ - Predation
+ - Parasitism
+ 0 Commensalism
- 0 Amensalism
MUTUALISM
• Mutualism is a type of symbiosis in which populations
interact to the benefit of both species.
• Mutualism may be obligate (necessary for survival of
one or both species) or facultative (one species may
survive in the absence of other).
SYMBIOTIC NITROGEN FIXERS:
• Although free nitrogen is about 80% of the atmosphere.
plants are unable to use it until it is "fixed" into
ammonia and converted to nitrates by bacteria.
• A common example of this mutualism between plants
and nitrogen fixing bacteria is found in the roots of
leguminous plants.
COMPETITION
• Mutual use of a limited resource by populations of two
or more species.
• Each individual adversely affect another in the quest for
food (nutrients), living space, or other common needs.
• Individuals harm one another is attempting to gain a
resource.
Categories of Competition
• When competition is between individuals of:
(i) Same species (intraspecific)
(ii) Different species (interspecific)
• When a resource is in short supply that used by one thus
not available to the other (exploitation).
• When an action or substance produced by one is directly
harmful to the other (interference).
PREDATION
Predation comprises of organism which are:
• Classic or True Predators: Most commonly thought of predators
including sharks, cheetahs, bears etc. These predators kill their prey as
soon as they catch them and then consume them normally.
• Grazers: They can be considered a predator by the same definition but
consume only part of a prey organism.
• Most of the predatory organism are animals but there are some plants like
Nepenthes, Drosera etc. which consume insects for their food. They are
also known as Insectivorous plants.
• These plants are adapted in remarkable ways to attract, catch and digest
their victims. Their foliar appendage produce proteolytic enzymes for
digestion of insects.
PARASITISM
• Parasites are divided into two groups:
(i) Endoparasites
(ii) Ectoparasites
• Endoparasites are parasites that live inside the body of the host,
e.g Trypanosoma.
• Ectoparasites are parasites that live on the outer surface of the host and
generally attach themselves during feeding e.g Ticks, Mites, etc.
• Ectoparasites develop some clinging organs like hooks, suckers to get
attached with the body of host.
• Some plants like cuscuta have certain specialized absorbing structures
called haustoria to attain food.
COMMENSALISM
• Commensalism is an association between two organisms in which one
benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
• The species involved in commensalism live together without entering into
any kind of physiological exchange.
EPIPHYTE
• An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant. Growing on another
plant gives the epiphyte better access to sunlight and moisture.
• They differ from lianas i.e they are not rooted into the soil.
• They have specialized roots to absorb moisture and nutrients from humid
air to prepare food so they are not dependent on the supporting species.
• E.g: Orchid Species
.
ALLELOPATHY
• Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces
one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival and
reproduction of other organisms.
• These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial
(positive allelopathy) or detrimental (negative allelopathy) effects on the
target organisms.
• Plant allelopathy is used as a means of survival in nature thus reducing
competition from plants nearby.
Possible pathways for the release of allelochemicals into the environment.
Symbiosis
The term symbiosis (Greek: living together) can be used to describe various
degrees of close relationship between organisms of different species. Sometimes
it is used only for cases where both organisms benefit and sometimes it is used
more generally to describe all varieties of relatively tight relationships i.e
parasitism but not predation. Some even go so far as to use it to describe
predation. It can be used to describe relationships where one organism lives on
or in another, or it can be used to describe cases where organisms are related by
mutual stereotypic behaviors.
OBSERVATION OF SOME INTERACTIONS IN OUR LOCALITIES
• The dog is a classic example of a domestic animal that likely travelled a
commensal pathway into domestication.
• Pollination in which nectar or pollen (food resources) are traded for
pollen dispersal (a service) or ant protection of aphids, where the aphids
trade sugar-rich honeydew (a by-product of their mode of feeding on
plant sap) in return for defense against predators such as ladybugs.
• Common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) are reliant on Ritteri sea
anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. Both the fish and anemone benefit
from this relationship, a case of mutualistic symbiosis.
• Common cuckoo chick ejects eggs of Reed Warbler out of the nest. It is
type of brood parasitism.
• Agricultural varieties of maize provide food for humans and are unable to
reproduce without human intervention because the leafy sheath does not
fall open and the seed head does not shatter to scatter the seeds naturally.
• Since Cheetahs and Lions both feed on similar prey, they are negatively
impacted by the presence of the each other because they will have less
food, however they still persist together.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NCERT BIOLOGY TEXTBOOK
[Link]
[Link]
