Oct 19, 2023 · There are four main symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and competition. To explore these relationships, let’s consider a natural ecosystem such as the ocean.

Oct 19, 2023 · Chameleons are a bizarre and colorful example of a heterotroph, an organism that consumes other animals or plants – like this unfortunate cricket – to sustain itself.

Use this infographic to see an example of a typical suburban backyard food web, and learn how energy is transferred through the different trophic levels within the food web.

Jan 6, 2025 · Corals are a key example of a foundation species across many islands in the South Pacific Ocean. These tiny animals grow as a colony of thousands and even millions of individual polyps. The …

Jul 25, 2016 · Two Germans, Albert Frank and Anton de Bary, provided the perfect one—symbiosis, from the Greek for ‘together’ [sym-] and ‘living’ [bio-].” Although the term was literally invented to …

Oct 19, 2023 · Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), which feed only on leaves from eucalyptus trees in Australia, are an example of a specialist species. Species with broader niches, like coyotes (Canis …

Apr 23, 2025 · For example, the Yanomami of the Amazon have a strong history and culture of traditional medicine. Many modern medicines have been developed from rainforest plants, so the …

A biotic factor is a living organism that shapes its environment. In a freshwater ecosystem, examples might include aquatic plants, fish, amphibians, and algae. Biotic and abiotic factors work together to …

When an herbivore eats a plant or other autotroph that is covered in pesticides, for example, those pesticides are stored in the animal’s fat. When a carnivore eats several of these herbivores, it takes …

Dec 4, 2025 · These examples of different uses of the geographic perspective help explain why geographic study and research is important as we confront many 21st-century challenges, including …