RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LIVING THINGS
Intraspecific relationships:
These are realitionships between living organisms of the same species. They help the species to survive.
- Reproduction: living things of the same species produce more members of their species.
- Protection: Some species of animals live in herds to protect themselves from predator attacks.
- Feeding: some species hunt in packs to catch and kill larger animals.
Interspecific relationships:
These are relationships between living things from different species. These are the most common interspecific relationships:
- Predation: it is a relationship in which one organism kills and eats another.
- Parasitism: one organism lives in or on another, called the host. This relationship does not usually kill the host.
- Mutualism: This is a relationship that is beneficial to both organisms. For example, when insects feed on the nectar of flowers, they are also helping those plants to reproduce.
- Symbiosis: this is a close relationship between two organisms, where one could not survive in its environment without the other. For example, the lichens, which are formed by the union of an alga and the fungus.
