Interdependence In The Chesapeake Bay

Interdependence is the dependence of every living organism on all other living things and natural resources in the environment including, air water, and soil. This includes both abiotic and biotic factors. These organisms need each other to live. Without interdependence, the whole food web would collapse.
Mutualism Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to both species in the relationship. In some cases, both depend on each other, and need their relationship to survive. In others, both species benefit from the relationship, but do not need it to live. Many mutualistic relationships stand in the world, including multiple in the Chesapeake Bay and other estuaries.

Compare and Contrast
In some cases of mutualism, neither organism could live without the relationship with the other, just like interdependence. Both terms play a vital role in the ecosystem, food chains, and food webs. …show more content…
Connection
Both interdependence and mutualism play huge roles in the Chesapeake Bay.

All organisms in the Chesapeake Bay live in a web of interdependence. The ecosystem could not survive without this web. Not only does interdependence affect the food chains in the Bay, it also affects the food pyramid and other major parts of the environment.

There are several different types of mutualism in the Bay. One example would be hermit crabs and sea anemones. Hermit crabs gain protection and anemones get food. Another example is smooth cordgrass and fiddler crabs. Fiddler crabs dig burrows which helps aerate the soil for the cordgrass. The cordgrass then provides structural support in the burrows for the fiddler crab.