Ecology HBL Assignment By Alex Wu 2P329

2) Reflect on this:

How has/will human activities in the Amazon regions affect the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants?

Human activities in the Amazon regions will affect the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants by deforestation. Human activities in the Amazon region will require more and more space as time passes by. To have the space, humans would have to cut down trees. This causes deforestation and the amount of Hirtella physophora plant, which is the host plant for the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants, would slowly reduce. This results in the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants able to have fewer traps and lesser chances of catching its prey. This will also result in the lack of food for the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and cause a decrease in its population. Therefore, this proves that human activities in the Amazon regions will affect the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants.

3) a) From the extract, identify the different symbiotic relationships and cite the organisms involved.
Commensalism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and fungus
Mutualism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and Hirtella physophora plant
Parasitism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and its prey

b) For each type of relationship you have identified in (a), name another example of a pair of organsms depicting that relationship in nature.
Commensalism: Barnacles and scallops
Mutualism: Ocellaris Clownfish and Ritteri sea anemone
Parasitism: Cowbird and its host bird

HBL assignment

2) There are several activities in the Amazonian rainforest that affect the population of the Allomerus Decimarticulatus ants. Mass deforestation, having affected 70% of South Africa’s tropical savannah, is harmful to the ants. First, Ants will have a smaller number of trees to set their ambushes on. Hence, this leads to competition between different colonies of ants. Also, fewer trees mean smaller area of habitat for animals that the Allomerus Decimarticulatus prey on; hence food will also become a problem. Also, pesticides sprayed on the soil and plants by the grain farmers will also reduce the ant population. Also, when it is raining, soil will begin to erode, hence destroying the homes of the ants, and sometimes destroying the queen ant’s eggs.

3a) Mutualism between the tree and the ants, predatory between the ants and its prey, herbivory between the tree and the ant’s prey.

3b) Plants and animals. Humans respire and give out carbon dioxide as a waste product. Plants will photosynthesize and produce oxygen, which in turn allows respiration. Herbivores such eat zebras eat plants such as grass. Predators such as leopards eat the zebras.

Clement Ooi

Ecology by Wang Zhi

60-70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon results from cattle ranches while the rest mostly results from small-scale subsistence agriculture. Despite the widespread press attention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributes relatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybean cultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboring cerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already been cleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely direct deforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation between logging and future clearing for settlement and farming.


Commensalism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus ants and plant. 
Mutualism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus ants and other insects.
Parasitism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus ants and the preys.

Commensalism: Remora and shark

Mutualism: Crocodile and bird

Parasitism: Lion and zebra

Ecology HBL Leow Wei Sheng 2P315

2) Deforestation will destroy the natural habitat of the Allomerus Decemarticulatus, causing them to lose their homes and their livelihoods. If the plants are destroyed, the ants would not be able to make the traps, and they will not be able to obtain food. Thus, they will start to decrease in numbers and eventually die out. Trekking may also destroy the habitat of the Allomerus Decemarticulatus, however on a smaller scale. The trekkers may step on the habitat and destroy it.

3a) Commencialism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus and host plant.
     Mutualism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus ants and mould.

     Parasitism: Allomerus Decemarticulatus ants and prey.

3b)
Commencialism: Young fishes and shrimps hide in the tangle of roots of a mangrove tree to avoid larger predators.     

Mutualism: Sponges let micro-organisms live on them while the micro-organisms produce more food than they can comsume and the excess is picked up by the sponge.
Parasitism: Endoparasitic wasp inject their eggs into moth or butterfly larvae and the wasp larvae feed on the larvae of the butterfly or moth.

David Li

Deforestation is being carried out in Amazon forest, and the plants which the allomerus decemarticulatus ants inhabit will be destroyed and the ants will die as there will not be enough, so they cannot create traps and there fore will become extinct as they cannot defend themselves

3a) Mutualism - Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and mould

      Exploitative (Predation) - Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and other insects

      Commensalism - Allomerus decemarticulatus and Hirtella physophora

3b)  Mutualism – Remora and shark

       Exploitative (Predation) – Cheetah & Thompson gazelle

       Commensalism – Barnacles and Scallop

Home Based learning Ecology by Lim Dae Koon (2p316)

2 ) The humans will start clearing lands in the Amazon regions, which will lead to deforestation. This will cause the species in Amazon to lose their habitat. For Allomerus decemarticulatus, they will lose their natural habitat, which is the plant, since the plant they are living in will get destroyed. Also, they would not be able to capture any insects, because they would not be able to get the hair from the plant, since the plant will be cut down by humans clearing the land.

3a ) Mutualism : Allomerus Decemarticulatus and mould

Commensalism : Allomerus Decemarticulatus and plant the ant lives in

Predation : Allomerus Decemarticulatus and its prey (insects that passes by the trap)

3b ) Mutualism : Goby fish and shrimp

     Commensalism : Spider an a plant.

     Predation : Eagle and rabbit

HBL ecology Joel Koh 2p313

If human in the Amazon region start to cut tree and deforest the Amazon. As the Allomerus decemarticulatus requires the tree to create their trap , without the tree these Allomerus decemarticulatus cannot built their trap . without their trap which are the main method they get food . They are unable to get food , hence the number of Allomerus decemarticulatus will decrease significantly and may lead to extinction .

  

3a) Mutualism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and mould

Commensalism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and tree

Predatory: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and their prey

3b)  Mutualism: Bees and flowers

Commensalism: Cattle egrets and livestock

Predatory: Lion and deer

HBL Ecology Soh Zheng Yang 2P325

2) Deforestation in the Amazon will cause many trees and plants to be cleared. This human activity will also destroy animals’ habitat.  As the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants rely on the plants, the ants will not be able to obtain tiny fibres from the plants which they used to create their traps. They will be unable to survive as their habitat is lost and also the fact that they will not be able to hunt for their preys. Moreover, their traps are destroyed and they will not be able to create any more traps to hunt for preys and also without having shelter to prevent them from their predator as deforestation occurs. Hence, Allomerus decemarticulatus ants will eventually die out and will decrease significantly.

3a) Mutualism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and mould

Commensalism: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and tree

Predatory: Allomerus decemarticulatus ants and their prey

3b)  Mutualism: Clownfish and Sea anemones

Commensalism: Barnacles and Whale

Predatory: Owl and Rats 

Home Based Learning - Ecology by Zeng Fan Pu

2) Logging and starting forest fires to clear away forests are common in the Amazon forest, in order to make space for agriculture or settlements. In 2010, 6459sq km of the Amazon rainforest was cleared. When the rainforests are being cleared by starting a forest fire, which is cheaper than logging, all the plants will die in the fire, and animals which can't escape fast enough will also die. As a result, many species of plants and animals are being wiped out everyday by forest fires, which upsets the balance of the food chain. The food chain in the rainforest links all the living things in the Amazon forest together, and a disruption in one part of it will affect all the living things in the food chain, including the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants. For example, if the population of a plant that the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants's prey feed on drastically decreases because many of it died in the fire, the ants would have less prey to feed on, and the ant's population would also decrease. If the land where theAllomerus decemarticulatus ants are cleared away, they would also have to go to other places to live, like moving deeper into the rainforest. However, they may encounter new predators and experience more competition. For example, there may be other birds which also preys on insects, and so it becomes harder for the ants to hunt for food. Some of the birds might even eat the ants. Thus, their existence is being threatened, which all starts from human activities in the Amazon regions.


3a) Commensalism: The ants build spongy traps on the plant's stems
Predation: The ants prey on insects that fly over its trap
Mutualism: The sooty mould can grow in the structure that the ant builds, and they also strengthen it to the ant's advantage


3b) Commensalism: Remora and shark
Predation: Cheetah and Thoompson Gazelle
Mutualism: Cleaner shrimps and eel

Home Based Learning 2P333 Zhu Jiahua

2) The cutting down of trees and clearing for plantations, has caused the number of trees available for habitat of the ants to be reduced. Thus, it will be hard for the ants to find a place to live in, causing a decrease in the population of the ants. The ants also uses a unique way of capturing their prey: cutting hairs from the stem of the plant they inhabit, and use the tiny fibers to build a spongy platform, and the structure is glued together with a protein that comes from chewed and regurgitated vegetation. Thus, the decrease in the number of trees will also render the ants being unable to use this method to capture their prey, as they are unable to obtain the hairs from the plant in which they live easily. This will lead to a decrease in the number of the ants, as one of their food source is restricted.

3a) Commensalism: allomerus decemarticulatus ants and the tree in which they live in.

Predation: allomerus decemarticulas ants and their prey.

Parasitism: ( caused by allomerus decemarticulas ants) fungus and rainforest tree.

b) Commensalism:Remora and Shark

Predation: zebra and grass

Parasitism: Mosquito and Man

SCI HCL BY ONG KIAN HAN

2. As deforestation is happening in the Amazon regions, the trees are being chopped down, and the trees are the ants’ home. The plants the ants use to make their traps are also destroyed when deforestation occurs. The ants will also be less protected from their predators.

3a.

Mutualism: Between the fungus and the ants. The ants farm the fungus and the fungus provide protein to glue the structure of the trap together.

Predatory:

The ants kill the insects trapped.

Commensalism:  Between ants and the tree. The ants use the stem of the trees to construct the traps, and the tree does not stand to lose.

3b.

Commensalism

In India, lone golden jackals expelled from their pack have been known to form commensal relations with tigers

Predatory

A lion, and a deer

Parasitism

Bedbugs are parasites that feed on warm-blooded animals, preferably humans. Bedbugs infest and are transported in luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture.

HBL James Wong 2P312

2) Human activities in the Amazon Rainforest, such as the cutting down of trees and clearing areas in the rainforest for plantations, has caused the number of trees available for habitat of the ants to be reduced. Thus, the ants will be unable to find a habitat to live in. The ants also uses a unique way of capturing their prey: cutting hairs from the stem of the plant they inhabit, and use the tiny fibers to build a spongy platform, and the structure is glued together with a protein that comes from chewed and regurgitated vegetation. The decrease in the number of trees will also render the ants being unable to use this method to capture their prey, as they are unable to obtain the hairs from the plant in which they live easily.

3a) Commensalism: allomerus decemarticulatus ants and the tree in which they live in.

Predation: allomerus decemarticulas ants and their prey.

Parasitism: ( caused by allomerus decemarticulas ants) fungus and rainforest tree.

 b) Commensalism: Epiphytes and fern

Predation:Tiger and zebra

Parasitism: Tree-ear fungus and tree

Lss Home Based Learning 2p318

How has/will human activities in the Amazon regions affect the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants?

Ans: Deforestation will cause the Allomerus decemarticulatus ants to lose their natural habitat. This is caused by the clearing and cutting of trees and therefore will affect the ants because they use the plants in their surroundings to set traps for their prey, their source of food. With the act of deforestation, many of these plants will vanish along with some of their homes. They will be forced to move to an area where there is no deforestation and they may not have the resources needed to catch their prey. Furthermore, different animals have different community and the ants may not find their usual prey there as they may not live in that community and thus get eaten by other animals.

3a) Mutualism

Allomerus decemarticulatus worker ants and mould

Commensalism 

Allomerus decemarticulatus worker ants and Hirtella physophora

Predatory

Allomerus decemarticulatus worker ants kill their helpless prey.

3b) Mutualism

Clownfish & Sea anemone

Commensalism 

Cattle Egret and Cattle

Predatory

Cheetah and Thompson Gazelle