Species Interactions: Competition, Predation, and Resource Partitioning

Biology Grades High School 5:49 Video
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Lesson Description

Explore the intricate relationships between species, including competition, predation, and the strategies they use to coexist, like resource partitioning. Learn how these interactions shape ecosystems.

Video Resource

Interactions within and among species | High school biology | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

Duration: 5:49
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Interspecific Interactions
  • Intraspecific Interactions
  • Resource Partitioning
  • Competitive Exclusion Principle

Learning Objectives

  • Define and differentiate between interspecific and intraspecific interactions.
  • Explain how competition can occur within and between species and its impact on population density.
  • Describe the competitive exclusion principle and its consequences.
  • Explain how resource partitioning allows species to coexist.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Briefly introduce the concept of ecology and the importance of understanding species interactions. Hook students by asking them to think about different organisms in their local environment and how they might interact.
  • Video Viewing: Interactions within and among species (10 mins)
    Play the Khan Academy video 'Interactions within and among species | High school biology'. Instruct students to take notes on key terms and examples.
  • Discussion: Interspecific vs. Intraspecific (10 mins)
    Facilitate a discussion to clarify the difference between interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Use examples from the video and ask students to provide their own.
  • Activity: Resource Partitioning Examples (15 mins)
    Present real-world examples of resource partitioning. Have students work in small groups to analyze how different species coexist by utilizing different resources or occupying different niches. Examples: Different bird species feeding at different levels of a tree, nocturnal vs. diurnal predators.
  • Wrap-up and Review (5 mins)
    Summarize the key concepts covered in the lesson. Answer any remaining questions. Preview upcoming topics related to ecology and community dynamics.

Interactive Exercises

  • Ecosystem Role-Play
    Assign students roles as different species within an ecosystem. Simulate changes in resource availability or the introduction of a new species and have students role-play how their species would be affected. This promotes critical thinking about ecological relationships.

Discussion Questions

  • Can you think of examples of interspecific interactions that are not predation or competition? (e.g., mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)
  • How might human activities disrupt resource partitioning in an ecosystem?

Skills Developed

  • Critical Thinking
  • Data Analysis
  • Scientific Communication
  • Problem Solving

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What type of interaction occurs between two different species?

Correct Answer: Interspecific

Question 2:

Which of the following is an example of intraspecific competition?

Correct Answer: Two male deer fighting for a mate

Question 3:

The competitive exclusion principle states that:

Correct Answer: Two species cannot coexist if they compete for all of the same resources.

Question 4:

Resource partitioning is a strategy that allows species to:

Correct Answer: Avoid competition by using different resources or habitats.

Question 5:

Which of the following is an example of resource partitioning?

Correct Answer: Different species of fish feeding at different depths in a lake.

Question 6:

As population density increases, what typically happens to intraspecific competition?

Correct Answer: It increases.

Question 7:

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped is called:

Correct Answer: Commensalism

Question 8:

What is the primary role of predation in an ecosystem?

Correct Answer: To regulate prey population size

Question 9:

What is a niche?

Correct Answer: The role a species plays in its environment, including its habitat, food, and interactions

Question 10:

Which of the following can lead to the extinction of a species due to competition?

Correct Answer: Competitive advantage in all dimensions

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

Interactions between members of the same species are called ________ interactions.

Correct Answer: intraspecific

Question 2:

________ is an interaction where one species uses another species for food.

Correct Answer: Predation

Question 3:

The principle stating that two species cannot coexist if they compete for all the same resources is the ________ ________ principle.

Correct Answer: competitive exclusion

Question 4:

________ ________ is when species use different resources, occupy different habitats, or feed at different times to avoid competition.

Correct Answer: Resource partitioning

Question 5:

Competition between different species is referred to as ________ competition.

Correct Answer: interspecific

Question 6:

As population density increases, the level of ________ usually increases.

Correct Answer: competition

Question 7:

When a species is better at competing for resources than another species, it is said to ________ the other species.

Correct Answer: outcompete

Question 8:

A species' role in its ecosystem, including its habitat, food, and interactions, is known as its ________.

Correct Answer: niche

Question 9:

If one species wins out in every dimension, it can lead to ________ of other species in that niche.

Correct Answer: exclusion

Question 10:

Organisms interact with other members of their own species and with other ________.

Correct Answer: species

Educational Standards

B.LS2.1:Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacities of ecosystems at different scales. B.LS2.2:Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. B.LS2.6:Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. B.LS4.2:Construct an explanation based on evidence that biological diversity is influenced by (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Teaching Materials

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