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92 | IV. Categories of animal associations 3.) Bilateral, indirect coenotic connections exist between two or more animal associations in which one or more obstant populations belong to the same species. The population size of one is not indifferent to the changes in size of conspecifics linked to the other zoocoenosis (its fate, composition or dominance relationships); thus, indirectly, the two are linked. 4.) Unilateral, indirect coenotic connections exist among populations that may be totally independent of each other, yet they utilise the same energy source, or the same space, and the consequence of such overlap is that they influence each others population size or density. Such links exist between the elements of catenaria, presocia and supersocia. The closest link exists between populations that are in a bilateral, direct coenotic relationship; the intercalary elements connect to this “internal core” in a looser manner. Jermy (1956) correctly noticed the decisive difference that is manifested in their interaction. Hence, he suggested the term “secondary connexus “ to distinguish the intercalary coetus in the chain, from the primary connexus, including populations with bilateral, direct connections. In our opinion, however, the former belongs to a separate associational category, the presocium, given that their energy source is not a single catena but a series of catenaria. The various categories of animal associations can only be delimited if we do not lose sight of the fact that the populations form links with each other. A category, therefore, is valid until it links various populations. If intercalary elements were to be linked to one catena only, to one or several of its populations, then they would, indisputably, belong to that catena. However, these intercalary or obstant elements that cross several catenae horizontally, obviously fit into a wider category of animal associations, due to their behaviour. Their populations are dispersed; not really populations, but 1-2 semaphoronts that belong to one catena, and even these may be only temporary. These would, indeed, deserve separate consideration. If we focus on populations, it is not possible to squeeze these elements, and the other strongly dispersed structural elements, into one catenarium, and the obvious category is a wider one, the presocium. While the individual semaphoronts of such populations, that are active as temporary elements in one catena, they become permanent members of presocia, because that includes all semaphoronts in their entirety. The limit of the presocium is, therefore, where the constituent populations are single semaphoronts. In other words, precisely where the catenarium starts. Only a few individuals of the imago semaphoront of Coccinella septempunctata will prey in gynopedia of Aphis pomi, others will hunt larvae of Sphaerolecanium prunastri on the neighbouring plum tree, and so on. In this example, an obstant coetus of a presocium links up to two different catenaria; here, the semaphoront group is only represented by a few semaphoronts that interact with uniform populations of corrumpents. These populations are members
