biology 2

• Interactions between organisms


  Mainly for food and shelter
• Types of interactions among organisms of different species

  • Predator-prey
  • Mutualism
  • Parasitism
• Predator-prey

  • An organism kills and consumes another organism
  • A predator is an organism that eats another organism
  • A prey is the organism that the predator eats
  • The period of interaction among them is short
• Mutualism


  • When two organisms of different species interact together, each benefits from the relationship
  • The period of interaction among them is relatively longer
• Mutualism


  • Bees obtain nectar from flowers and help the plant pollinate successfully
  • Clownfish receive protection among the sea anemone's stinging tentacles. The clownfish, in turn, help the sea anemone obtain food by luring prey closer to them
• Parasitism


  • An organism, known as the parasite, gains benefits from another organism, known as the host, and causes harm to the host without killing it
  • The period of interaction among them is relatively longer
• Parasitism


  • Tapeworms live in the intestines of the host animals to get food, and they cause the host to be deprived of nutrients
  • Without stems, leaves or roots, the parasitic rafflesia plant relies on the host vine for water and nutrients, potentially harming the host in the process
• Physical factors


  • Play a crucial role in shaping the characteristics and suitability of an environment for various organisms and ecosystems
  • Can influence the distribution, behaviour, and adaptation of living organisms within a given habitat
• Organisms that thrive in harsh conditions


  • Have typically developed specialised features and adaptations to help them cope with their extreme environment
• Common physical factors in an ecosystem


  • Sunlight
  • Temperature
  • Water
  • pH level
  • Air
  • Minerals
• Sunlight


  Provides light energy for plants to carry out photosynthesis
• Temperature


  • Allows organisms to avoid danger and look for food
  • Provides warmth to living organisms
  • Affects the growth, activities, and survival of organisms
• effects of Water in an environment


  • Affects the lives of all living organisms, as living cells are made up mainly of water
  • Provides a suitable habitat for marine life
• effects of pH level in an environment


  The acidity or alkalinity affects the types of organisms living in a particular area
• Air


  • Provides carbon dioxide for plants to carry out photosynthesis
  • Provides oxygen for living organisms to carry out respiration
• Minerals


  • They are substances that provide essential elements for the plants to grow healthily
  • These essential elements, such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, are needed by plants to make chlorophyll, enzymes, hereditary material, or vitamins
  • They are obtained by the plants from the soil
• Adaptation


  • How a species changes its body and behaviour to better suit its natural environment
  • Organisms that are able to develop adaptive traits to cope with changing environmental conditions in their habitats are more likely to survive and reproduce
  • Once organisms have adapted to their specific environment or developed adaptive traits that help them survive in that environment, they are more likely to survive long enough to reproduce successfully
  • They can then pass those advantageous traits on to their offspring, increasing their chances of thriving in new environmental conditions
• Adaptive traits


  Specific characteristics or features possessed by organisms that have developed over time to enhance their survival and reproduction in a particular environment
• Structural adaptation


  A physical feature of an organism's body that helps it to survive or reproduce
• Behavioural adaptation


  A behaviour or a response shown by an organism that helps it to survive or reproduce
• Physical environment in rainforests


  • Warm air and high humidity
  • Frequent, abundant rainfall
  • High average temperature and narrow daily temperature range
  • Abundant sunlight at the tree canopy but little at the forest floor
  • Plentiful minerals near the surface of the acidic soil