Interdependence and Competition

Describe the crucial roles of interdependence and competition within a biological community.

Explain how organisms require a continuous supply of materials from their surroundings and from other living organisms to survive and reproduce.

Identify the resources that plants typically compete for, including light, space, water, and mineral nutrients from the soil.

Identify the resources that animals commonly compete for, including food, mates, and territory.

Explain the concept of interdependence, where species rely on each other for food, shelter, pollination, and seed dispersal.

Predict the cascading effects on a whole community if a single species is removed from the ecosystem.

Define a stable community as one where all species and environmental factors are in balance, resulting in fairly constant population sizes.