How Does Interactions Between Biological Systems Create Complexity?
There are many symbiotic relationships in biological systems. There is mutualism which means both sides benefit from the interaction. An example of this is a bird picking an alligator’s teeth clean. The bird benefits with a meal and the alligator gets a healthy mouth. In this case, the alligator’s mouth also serves as resource. Commensalism is when one species benefits and the other sees no effect. An example of this is fish picking up the left overs after a sharks meal, again serving as a resource. Parasitism is when one species benefits and the other is harmed. This is seen in harmful bacteria, such as the ones that cause West Nile, and in harmful worms such as tape worms. These are often the cause of mass deaths in a population and can also collapse a food chain.
There is also interaction between predators. This is when competition arises and there is competitive exclusion. Competitive exclusion is an organism that fails to obtain a competitive resource and can kill of a population in a community or cause migration. When competitive exclusion does not arise character displacement and resource partitioning occurs. Character displacement is a population in a community that adapts to a realized niche in...
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