Tuesday, May 24, 2011

HBL Zhang Jie 2A233

2: Human activities like deforestation will cause the vegetation and sooty mould that the ants depend on to be wiped out. Since the ants depend on these organisms to get their food, the decrease in the population of these vegetation and sooty mould will make food more difficult for the ants to obtain. These will affect the population of the ants, causing it to decrease due to lack of food.


3: Commensalism. The worker ants cut the tiny hairs from the plant they inhabit to build the spongy platform from the fibres. The ants are benefited while the plant is unaffected, thus their symbiotic relationship is commensalism. Example: Shark and pilot fish, the pilot fish can feed on leftover food from the shark and receive protection, while the shark is unaffected.


Parasitism. The ants chewed on plants and then regurgitate them to glue the structure of the platform together. In this case the ants make use of the plant to make the trap for capturing their prey, while the plant is harmed, so it is a Parasitism symbiotic relationship. Example: Flea and dog, the flea gets food and shelter while the dog is harmed because the flea feed on its blood.


Mutualism. The ants inhabit the plant to get food and shelter, while the plant receives protection from herbivores or parasitic plant. Example: Egyptian plover and the crocodile, the bird feed on the food stuck in the crocodile’s teeth and the crocodile get a mouth cleaning service.

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