Marine Environmental Science Division, Tokyokaiyo University
Organisms in nature do not exist in isolation, but instead in association with other organisms of different species. One-on-one interactions among species rarely occur in natural communities; complex interactions are involved in the organization of biological communities. Therefore, the understanding of complex sets of species interactions is an important focus area in ecology today.
Species interactions can be categorized under six components; competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, and mutualism. To date, these interactions have been treated separately, although unified interactions need to be understood to elucidate community organizing mechanisms. We are trying to elucidate community organizing mechanisms using the interaction web approach that integrates all aspects of species interaction.
