Interdependence

Interdependence: means that living things depend on each other for survival.

read the extract from Darwin below, and see if you can see the Interdependence of the scenario

Sometimes animals and plants interact but sometimes the consequences of the dependancies effect more that one species.

“Bumble-bees alone visit red clover, as other bees cannot reach the nectar. If the numbers of bumble bees shrunk or became extinct the red clover would also become very rare, or wholly disappear.

The number of bumble-bees in any district depends to a great degree on the number of field mice which destroy their combs and nests.

Now the number of mice is largely dependent on the number of cats; and Col. Newman says, “near villages and small towns, I have found the nests of bumble-bees more numerous than elsewhere, which I attribute to the number of cats which destroy the mice.

Hence, it is quite credible that the presence of cats in large numbers in the district might determine, through the intervention of 1st mice and then of bees, the frequency of certain flowers in that district.”

Charles Darwin, Origin of the Species

Interdependence

http://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceOnline

Interdependence

Plants and Animals depend on each other

Plants & insects need each other, the insect gets food / nectar from the flower, the flower uses the insect to deliver pollen to other flowers.

Many animals need to eat plants

Rabbits eat grass, Humans eat fruit & veg

Animals depend on other Animals

Sharks have symbiotic relationships with some small fish that clean their teeth,

the small fish eat the food from the teeth, the sharks get their teeth cleaned.

Plants need other Plants

Ivy grows on trees, mosses grow on trees.

Plants depend on Animals

Flowers need insects for pollination, Manure is a good fertiliser

Crazy

this link video link might help you understand interdependence in nature

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Coccinella_septempunctata#p003lckg