Module 9S1 Ecological Interactions

Lesson 4.9.1S1

Lesson 1: Species Interactions and Symbiotic Relationships

 

Get Focused

 

Banff National Park was created in order to preserve the ecosystems of a pristine wilderness in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. If you spend time hiking in the backcountry of the park today, you have a good chance of encountering several species of organisms in their natural habitats.

 

Although you may see grizzly bear, moose and lichen, you may not see the grizzly bear upturning rotting logs looking for a meal of larvae and roots, nor the moose being swarmed by mosquitoes drawing blood in order to feed their eggs, nor the algae and fungi that work cooperatively to form the lichen that the caribou feed on in the winter.

 

All organisms are part of ecological communities made up of food webs specific to a defined area. Each species has a role to play (niche) and this interdependence can cause communities to collapse if even only one species is severely affected.

 

The interactions and relationships that we see occurring between organisms are coded in DNA, and the alleles responsible for these behaviors are favored as long as they give the organism a selective advantage within their specific environment.

 

By the end of this lesson you should be able to answer the following questions:

• What relationships exist between species and ecosystems?
• What effect do these interactions have on population changes?

Module 9: Section 1—Lesson 1 Assignment

 Once you have completed all of the learning activities for this lesson, you can complete the online assignment.

Bio 30 4.9.1S1 online assignment

 

In addition to your lesson work as listed below, any summary notes, diagrams, charts or tables should be stored in the course folder for your teacher’s feedback and study as you prepare for exams.

 You should also watch the tutorial video from this lesson and submit a summary.  Bio30 tut#4.9.1S1 Population and communities

The other questions in this lesson are not marked by the teacher; however, you should still answer these questions. The Self-Check and Try This questions are placed in this lesson to help you review important information and build key concepts that may be applied in future lessons.

 

After a discussion with your teacher, you must decide what to do with the questions that are not part of your assignment. For example, you may decide to submit to your teacher the responses to Try This questions that are not marked. You should record the answers to all of the questions in this lesson and place those answers in your course folder.