There are various types of community interactions that can affect the ecosystem. They are broadly divided into three types.
1. Competition: A competition is an interaction between the organisms of the same or different species in which they compete with one another for the same resource. One competitive species can inhibit the growth of other species. By doing this a competitive species tries to obtain the maximum available nutrients from the ecosystem.
2. Predation: Here one organism hunts the other organism for its food. The organism that hunts is called a predator whereas; the organism that gets hunted is called the prey.
3. Symbiosis: It is the interaction in which two organism stay in close association with one another. Symbioses are of three types.
a. Mutualism: It is the interaction between the two organisms in which both the partners are benefited due to their relationship.
b. Commensalism: It is the interaction in which only one partner is benefited but the other one is neither helped nor harmed.
c. Parasitism: Is an interaction in which the association between two organisms cause harm to one and benefits the other.