Abstract
Ecosystems are composed of organisms that affect each other in positive and negative ways. Community ecologists study the interactions among species using theory, classifications, and empirical examples. Species are often studied in pairs or small groups to examine competition, predation, and mutualism. To reflect more species and therefore more interactions, ecologists characterize food webs and metacommunities. In multispecies interactions, nonlinear dynamics appear where a species indirectly affects others through intermediaries. Human activities can change species interactions, affecting community composition, species or population extinction, and evolution.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Biodiversity |
Subtitle of host publication | Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
Pages | 715-725 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780123847195 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780123847201 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Character displacement
- Coevolution
- Community stability
- Competition
- Competitive exclusion
- Food webs
- Herbivory
- Indirect effects
- Keystone species
- Metacommunities
- Mutualism
- Predation
- Removal experiment
- Trophic cascade