There are over a million different species of animals and plants living in

groups on earth, interdependent on one another and their environment.

To study interdependence among organisms, you first need to be familiar
with certain terms.

SPECIES

HABITAT

COMMUNITY

POPULATION
ECOSYSTEM

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SPECIES

A group of organism that

have the same shape and
structure, and can breed
together.
Ex: monkeys, rats, cats
and elephants.

POPULATION

HABITAT
A group of organisms of
the same type that live
together in a habitat.
Ex: a population of monkeys
on a tree, a population
of lions in a grassland.

A natural living place for

plants and animals.
A habitat provides an organism
with air, food, shelter and
a place which to breed.
Ex: coconut beach, lotus pond,
shark sea, snake bush,
crocodile - river
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5

ECOSYSTEM

Different communities interact with one

another and their environment in a
habitat.
Ex: a marine ecosystem,
a grassland ecosystem

COMMUNITY
Consist of several types
of animal and plant
population that live
together and
interact with one another
In the same habitat.
Ex: a pond community
consist of fish, plant,
tadpole and insect
populations.

HABITAT

SPECIES

POPULATION

ECOSYSTEM
4

COMMUNITY

 Natural ecosystem are mostly complex. There are many species of animals
and plants living together in the same habitat. These different populations
that live together are interdependent to one another for survival.
Interdependence: A number of living organisms depending on each other
and the environment to stay alive.
Animals depend on plants for food and shelter. Ex: Rabbits eat grass and
birds nest in trees.
In turn, plants depend on animals to supply them with carbon dioxide and
to disperse their seeds.

 Plants depend on non-living materials such as carbon dioxide, water and

light to produce food.
Some organisms depend on other organisms for food, shelter, or
protection.
The interdependence among living organisms and the environment creates
a balanced ecosystem.

Aquatic plants obtain mineral salts from the soil in the pond
Aquatic animals depends on aquatic plants to supply oxygen for the process of respiration
Aquatic plants depend on aquatic animals to obtains to obtain animals to obtain carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis
Small fishes and tadpoles eat aquatic plants
Big fishes eat small fishes
Kingfisher eats fish
Duckweed, water hyacinths, lotus and land plant obtain sunlight for the process of photosynthesis

 In an ecosystem, every living organisms interact with other living organisms

by:
* eating them or being eaten by them
* providing them with shelter and protection or receiving shelter and
protection from them
* competing with them for food, water, light, air or minerals.
Most of these interactions involve involve relationships such as prey
predator, symbiosis and competition.

PREY - PREDATOR

A relationship
where an
animal captures
and eats
other animal.

 A Predator is an organism that kills and eats another organism.

A prey is the organism that is eaten.
Other examples are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

A kingfisher (predator) eats fish (prey)

A chicken (predator) eats worms (prey)
An eagle (predator) eats rabbits (prey)
A guppy (predator) eats mosquito larvae (prey)
A lizard (predator) eats mosquitoes (prey)

SYMBIOSIS

Two or more different

species which live
close together and
interact with each
other.

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which one benefits while
the other neither benefits nor harmed by it.
COMMENSALISM

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which both benefit.
MUTUALISM

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which one benefits while
the other is harmed or even killed.
PARASITISM

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which one benefits while
the other neither benefits nor harmed by it.
COMMENSALISM

Examples of plants that live on trees to obtain sunlight are:

a)
b)
c)
d)

The staghorn fern

The money plant
The pigeon orchid
The birds nest fern

Examples of animals that live on other animals to obtain foods, as well as for
shelter and transportation are:
a) Barnacles that live on the shells of crabs, cockles or snails
b) Remora fish that live on a shark

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which one benefit.
MUTUALISM

Other examples are:

a) Sea animone and hermit crab
- The hermit crab get protection from the sea animone (sea animone has
tentacles that can sting)
- The sea animone obtains transport and food (food bits that drop) from the hermit
crab
b) Ox pecker and buffaloes
- Ox pecker eat the ticks and leeches that feed on buffaloes
c) The Egyptian Plover bird and crocodiles
- The Egyptian Plover bird eats leeches as well as food particles stuck between
the crocodiles teeth
d) Nitrogen fixing bacteria and leguminous plants
- Rhizobium bacteria live in the root nodules of leguminous plants. They convert
the nitrogen in the air and change it to nitrates for the use of the plants
- These bacteria obtain food and shelter from the leguminous plants

e) Green algae and fungus

- The algae provide the fungus with food
- The fungus protects the algae and releases carbon dioxide for the algae to use
during photosynthesis
f)
-

Symbiotic bacteria and herbivorous animals

Symbiotic bacteria live in the digestive track of herbivorous animals and help in
the digestion of cellulose
The bacteria obtain food and shelter from the host

An interaction between two different species

of living organism which one benefits while
the other is harmed or even killed.
PARASITISM

 A parasite is the organism that lives on or inside the other organism.

The host is the organism on which the parasite lives.
The host is negatively affected by this interaction. The parasite may even
kill the host.
A parasite obtains food, shelter and food from the host.
For examples:
a)
b)
c)
d)

A tick that lives on a host feeds on the hosts blood

stem borers and oil palm leaves
Tree barnacles and trees
Aphids and mustard plants

Competition among the same species.

INTRA-SPECIFIC COMPETITION

COMPETITION
Organisms compete
which each other for
food, light,
water, shelter, mate
and minerals.

Competition among the different species.

INTER-SPECIFIC COMPETITION

 Competition occurs when organisms compete for the same basic resources
Plants compete to obtain, water, sunlight, mineral salts and living space.
Animals compete to obtain water, food, living space and mates for
reproduction
Competition becomes more intense when basic resources are limited.
Stronger organisms are succesful in controlling their territory. Weaker and
smaller organisms are driven out of the area.
Other examples are:
a) Flowering plants compete with weeds to obtain water and mineral salts
b) Lions in a pride compete for food
c) Plants in a tropical rainforest compete for basic needs. Taller trees obtain
sunlight more easily.
d) Paramecium aurelia and paramecium caudatum

a) Paramecium aurelia and paramecium caudatum compete for food

b) Paramecium aurelia succeeds

Producers
Consumers
Decomposers

An organisms
Producers
(Pengeluar)
Green plants

Consumers
(Pengguna)
Primary
(herbivore)
Grasshoppers
Secondary (carnivore)
Frog, birds
Tertiary (carnivores)
Cat, snake

Decomposers
Bacteria & fungus

Producers
(Pengeluar)

Must be green plants which

can produce food by carryout
photosynthesis processes

Decomposers
(pengurai)

Organisms that eat on dead

plants and dead animals
e.g. bacteria and fungus

Tumbuhan hijau sebagai pengeluar

Consumers
(Pengguna)

Must be animals because they

Cannot carryout photosynthesis

Consumers
primary
(Pengguna 1)

Must be herbivore animals

e.g. grasshoppers, caterpillar

Consumers
Secondary
(Pengguna 2)
Consumers
Tertiary
(Pengguna 3)

Must be small carnivores

Animals. E.g. birds, frog
Must be bigger carnivores
Animals. E.g. snakes, crocodile

Consumers
Death and waste
Materials

Eaten by

Producers
(Green plants)

Death

Decomposers
(Microorganisms)

Absorbed by
roots

Simple substance
(in soil)

Decay
(mereput)

Relationship among producers, consumers and decomposers

The feeding relationship between organisms in an

ecosystem forms a FOOD CHAIN (rantai makanan)

Cherry tree
(producers)

Caterpillar
Primary consumer

Bird
Secondary consumer

Producers

Primary
consumer

Secondary
consumer

Paddy plant

Rats

Snakes

Producers

carrots

Primary
consumer

Secondary
consumer

Rabbits

Cheetah

Producers

Grass

Primary
consumer

Grasshopper

Secondary
consumer

Frog

Tertiary
consumer

Snake

Producers

Primary
consumer

Palm oil tree

Rats

Secondary
consumer

Owl

Tertiary
consumer

Cat

Food chain interact to form a food web.

Food web helps to maintain a balance in
environment by controlling the number of
Organisms at each level of food chain.

Producers

Phytoplankton (algae)
(Sejenis tumbuhan air)

Primary
consumer

Tubifex

Tadpoles

Daphnia

(cacing)

(berudu)

(serangga)

Secondary
consumer

Small fish

Water beetles

Frog

(ikan kecil)

(serangga air)

(katak)

Tertiary
Consumer

Big fish
(ikan besar)

Bird

Caterpillar
Bug

Termite

Grasshopper

Lizard

Ant
Eagle

Earthworm

Beetle

Decomposer (bacteria and fungi)

Frog

Diagram above show 4 food chain in a food web

in the forest ecosystem:
a.Tree caterpillar bird eagle
b.Tree bug grasshoppers lizard eagle
c. Tree termite ant
d.Tree bug grasshopper frog eagle

Tertiary consumer

Secondary consumer

Primary consumer
Producer

A food web in marine ecosistem (rantaian makanan di ekosistem laut)

-A food chain also shows the energy transfer

from one organisms to another.
-The main source energy is sunlight which helps
plants to produce food, through photosynthesis
process.
-A balance number of organisms are important
because it will effect the equilibrium of entire
ecosystem.

 Conservation is the wise use of natural resources with the least disturbance to the living
things and the environment. This includes the protection, management and renewal of
natural resources.
Memulihara: Menggunakan

secara bijak sumber semulajadi

dengan sedikit kerosakan kepada benda hidup dan alam sekitar.

Preservation refers to measures or steps taken to maintain living things and the
environment in its natural balanced state.
Memelihara: Langkah

dan alam sekitar.

mengekalkan keseimbangan benda hidup

CARA MEMELIHARA DAN

MEMULIHARA BENDA HIDUP
1. KAWAL PENCEMARAN merosakkan habitat haiwan
2. PENGURUSAN HUTAN kebakaran hutan, pembalakan haram,
penebangan hutan.
3. PERUNDANGAN BERKAITAN PERLINDUNGAN HAIWAN elak
pemburuan komersial, overfishing, lindungi spesis terancam.
4. PENDIDIKAN tingkatkan kesedaran ttg kepentingan memelihara
dan memulihara benda hidup dan persekitarannya.
5. PENGURUSAN SUMBER SEMULAJADI bina pusat perlindungan
haiwan, hutan simpan dan pusat tadahan hujan.