Adaptations, Interdependence and Competition

• An ecosystem is the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment
• To survive and reproduce, organisms require a supply of materials from their surroundings and from the other living organisms there
• Plants in a community or habitat often compete with each other for light and space, and for water and mineral ions from the soil
• Animals often compete with each other for food, mates and territory
• If one species is removed it can affect the whole community. This is called interdependence
• A stable community is one where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant
• Organisms have features (adaptations) that enable them to survive in the conditions in which they normally live
• Adaptations can be structural, behavioural or functional
• Extremophiles are organisms that live in environments that are very extreme, such as at high temperature, pressure, or salt concentration
• Bacteria living in deep sea vents are extremophiles