Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Plot Community

There are many interactions that go on between organisms on my plot. Here are the five interactions I will focus on: competition, predation, symbiosis- mutualism, symbiosis- commensalism, and symbiosis- parasitism (all on my plot, of course.)
Predation: 
- Small snakes feeding on small rodents, worms, insects, etc.
- Fish eating algae, weeds, pond plants and more.
- Birds and other organisms feed on the great variety and population of worms.
Competition:
- Different types of birds competing for prime spots for a nest, whether between species or a single species.
- Trees compete for the ground space and below to spread their roots and get the most sunlight.
- Squirrels and Chipmunks (and other nut eating creatures) compete for the same nut supply.
Symbiosis- Parasitism:
- Termites infesting a native tree on my plot.
- Some fungus is harmful to trees, plants, and other organisms I have seen it grow on.
Symbiosis- Mutualism:
- Between native flowers and bees: the bees get nectar while the flowers get pollinated.
- There is also a relationship between worms and the field grass, the field grass dies and is decomposed into dirt by the worms, which is good for them, and the fresh dirt helps new grass grow.
Symbiosis- Commensalism:
- Several birds build nests in the great trees.
- Now while it may be accidental because squirrels really just have small brains, both squirrels and chipmunks bury nuts and forget to get them, thus helping a new tree to grow.

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