Terms to know

Interspecific: An interaction that occurs between individuals of two different species. For instance, a shark (one species) eats a sardine (another species).

Intraspecific: An interaction that occurs between members of the same species. For instance, one squirrel chases another squirrel up a tree.

Intersexual: An interaction that occurs between individuals of two different sexes. Intrasexual: An interaction that occurs between individuals of the same sex.

Adaptation: oh this is a fun one. Adaptation is a process where the average value of traits in a population becomes better suited to the environment. What does that mean? If we think of this in terms of physical traits (like height), then we can describe a population by the average traits. A population of 100 people might have an average height of 5 foot 8 inches (note: not every individual is 5'8). If, over multiple generations, that population average changes because of taller individuals survive and reproduce better, than that is adaptation. Individuals do not adapt, populations do.

Population: A group of individuals of the same species that live in a particular place- and are more likely to mate with each other than with individuals from any other population.

Community: A group of interacting populations in a particular area (multiple different species).

Biotic community: All of the living things in a community.

Abiotic community: All of the non-living, physical aspects of a community (i.e. rainfall, climate and weather patterns, etc).

What do you think causes conflict? Briefly (~100 words) describe where you think conflict (between individuals or groups of people or animals or plants) comes from. Explain your reasoning.