In the dry forests and rainforests, in the lowlands, the swamps and in the oceans, the plants and the animals are interdependent for their very survival. It is, of course, well known how birds rely on forests to exist, and how the deforestation of the planet has threatened many species and driven some to extinction. In that mulch, they grow a particular fungus, which is what the colony feeds on. Species adapt to their environment. Some poisonous animals use bright coloring to warn their prey.
Some insects look just like the leaves, stems or bark among which they hide to protect themselves.
In many cases, two different species adapt themselves to fulfill each other's needs. The forests abound with insects that feed off the nectar of a specific type of flower, thus pollinating that flower and helping it survive. There are several dozen different species of figs in Costa Rica, and each one is pollinated by a different species of wasp. Modify the fig trees and the wasps will die out, as will the birds that prey on them for food. Remove the wasps and the fig trees will be gone within a generation.