Neon Tetra Interaction

Introduction
Organisms exist within an aggregation of populations consisting of two or more different species that interact with one another in a defined space (Ricklefs 2008). By definition this is known as an ecological community. These interactions within the community is what accounts for many if not most ecosystem processes, including but certainly not limited to, food webs, nutrient cycling, and competition. As the interactions can greatly vary within different communities, it is difficult to define and measure (Harrison & Cornell 2008). The interactions themselves can be present in a direct or indirect manner. Direct interactions occur in situations where one species directly invokes a reaction from the respondent. Whereas indirect interactions
The Paracheirodon Innesi or the neon tetra is a freshwater fish that is native to the streams of South America. In captivity, Neon Tetras are one of the most valuable species in the ornamental fish trade. They are known for their hardiness as well as flamboyant coloring (Champan et. Al 1998). The prey in question is the Daphnia, a large group of small planktonic crustaceans which can also exist in almost any freshwater body (Ebert 2005). The predatory nature of the Tetra will be put into question in two scenarios. One where the Tetra can easily find its prey in a two-species interaction with the Daphnia. And another where the Tetra will have to spend time and energy searching for its prey in the presence of a third species Synthetica Plantae or the common Plastic Plant. The Synthetica Plantae acts as a third species and acts to modify the interaction between the Neon Tetra and the Daphnia. As the Tetra is known to be a visual predator (like most fish), the visual interference by the Synthetica Plantae is to be expected. In the presence of Synthetica Plantae, the Neon Tetra is expected to have less successful attacks on the Daphnia compared to a situation without the plastic plants due to the visual interference by the Synthetica