Species cannot live alone. All life needs other life to survive. Plants have evolved flowers with traits that promote pollination by particular species. Pollinator species, in turn, have evolved traits that help them obtain pollen or nectar from certain species of flowers. The flowering plants and the pollinators, such as a bird or insect, both benefit from the relationship. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship.
All living things depend on their environment to supply them with what they need, including food, water, and shelter. Their environment consists of physical factors—such as soil, air, and temperature—and also of other organisms. An organism is an individual living thing. Many living things interact with other organisms in their environment. In fact, they may need other organisms in order to survive. This is known as interdependence, as depicted in the Figure below. For example, living things that cannot make their own food must eat other organisms for food. Other interactions between living things include symbiotic relationships and competition for resources.
Symbiosis is a close relationship between organisms of different species in which at least one of the organisms benefits. The other organism may also benefit, it may be unaffected by the relationship, or it may be harmed by the relationship. Figure below shows an example of symbiosis. The bird in the picture is able to pick out food from the fur of the antelope. The antelope won’t eat the bird. In fact, the antelope knowingly lets the bird rest on it. What, if anything, do you think the antelope gets out of the relationship?
Competition is a relationship between living things that depend on the same resources. The resources may be food, water, or anything else they both need. Competition occurs whenever the two species try to get the same resources in the same place and at the same time. The two organisms are likely to come into conflict, and the organism better able to obtain that resource will “win” out over the other organism. What makes an organism better able to obtain a resource? They may be any of countless reasons, but each is considered an adaptation that makes an organism more fit to live in its environment.
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