title: Location and foraging as basis for classification of biotic interactions.
abstract: Ecologists face an overwhelming diversity of ecological relationships in natural communities. In this paper, I propose to differentiate various types of the interspecific relations on the basis of two factors: relative localization and foraging activity of interacting partners. I advocate recognition of four types of environments: internal, surface, proximate external and distant external. Then I distinguish four types of synoikia-one partner lives in different degree of proximity to another; and four types of synmensalism: one partner forages in different degree of proximity to another. Intersection of localization-based (four subtypes of synoikia) and foraging-based (four subtypes of synmensalism) rows results in 16 types of interactions. This scheme can serve as a framework that manages diverse biotic interactions in a standardized way. I have made the first step to set up nomenclature standards for terms describing interspecific interactions and hope that this will facilitate research and communication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology and Zoology, Bashkir State University, Zaki-Validy str., 32, Ufa, Bashkortostan, 450076, Russia. herpetology@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Viner F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Khabibullin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008954:Models, Biological; D013045:Species Specificity; D013559:Symbiosis
keywords: Interspecific interactions; Synmensalism; Synoikia; Theoretical scheme