Symbiosis A Partnership in Nature
Symbiosis: Organisms relate to each other and interact with each other in all different ways. The relationship between 2 or more organisms is called symbiosis. Symbiosis = living together
Symbiosis: There are 3 main types of relationships in symbiosis: Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism Let s take a look at each type. Be paying attention because at the end of these examples I am going to check and see if you can tell me what the relationship is.
Both organisms benefit.
Bee and Flower In this photo, we can see a honeybee pollinating a flower. The honeybees get food from the flowers and in return, they help the flowers reproduce. Both organisms are benefiting each other in this relationship so this a mutualistic relationship.
Cow and Bacteria Cows love grass and to help them with this love they have a special friend inside their gut- bacteria. We usually think of bacteria as being harmful, but this bacteria is helpful to cows. Bacteria get a nice home inside the belly of a cow and in return, they help the cow digest the grass and better absorb the nutrients from the grass. This is an example of: Mutualismboth organisms are benefitting.
Sea Anemone and Clownf ish Clownfish live among sea anemone in the ocean. Sea anemone have poisonous arms, but the clownfish are immune to the poisonous tentacles and therefor can not be harmed by them. This creates a great living environment for the clownfish! It is protected from its enemies and makes meals for itself from the anemones leftover scraps. In return, the clownfish is thought to help lure other fish into the sea anemones tentacles. It also helps keep the area clean by eating the anemone s dead tentacles.
One organism benefits and the other is not affected.
Sea Anemone and Shrimp There is another relationship with sea anemone- this one is with shrimp. Shrimp live among the sea anemone and are protected from their enemies by hiding in the safety of the anemone s poisonous tentacles. However, the shrimp don t provide any benefit for the sea anemone. They also don t harm the anemone. When one organism is benefitted and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed- commensalism
Bird and a Tree A bird makes its home in the tree. The bird now has shelter. The tree is not harmed by the birds presence.
Barnacles and Whales Barnacles are small crustaceans. These little guys attach themselves to the body of a whale. As the whale swims throughout the ocean, the barnacles are protected and are able to snatch up a snack of plankton when the whale swims through a patch of plankton rich water. The barnacles do not harm the whale.
Cattle and Egret A small bird called an egret lives among cattle. It is no bother to the cattle, but it does enjoy being around the cattle because as the cattle trample through the field they stir up insects which the egret will snatch up and eat. They don t seem to be bothering the cattle, do they?
One kind of organism benefits but the other is harmed.
Dog and Heart worm If your dog got heartworms then it would need some attention from the doctor. The doctor would have to prescribe your dog a medicine to kill off the heartworms. Why? The heartworms are bad for your dog. They are parasites. They attached to your dog and treat him like a host. In this type of relationship, your dog (the host) is harmed at the expense of the heartworm ( the parasite). The parasite is happy because it has a home and it is getting nutrients from the dog.
You and a M osquito A mosquito bite is no fun, it is? It swells up and it is itchy and uncomfortable. However, that mosquito sure did enjoy the blood that it sucked from your body when it pierced your body with its mouth. In this relationship, you were hurt and the mosquito was helped so that would be a parasitic relationship.
M istletoe and Tree Mistletoe has no roots of its own and lives off the tree that it attaches itself to. Explain how this is a parasitic relationship. Without the tree the mistletoe would die. However, the tree slowly loses its nutrients and can become stunted or die if the mistletoe becomes too numerous.
Quick Sponges in the ocean house a variety of organisms such as crustaceans and worms. Depending on their size, these sponges can house up to hundreds of different species! The sponges provide a safe home filled with nutrients. These organisms do not affect the sponges. What type of relationship is this? A. Mutualism B. Commensalism C. Parasitism Check: Commensalism! Many organisms are being benefited by the sponge s presence but the sponge is not helped or harmed in this relationship.
Quick The gila woodpecker is known for making nests and pecking holes in the Saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert. The woodpecker feeds on insects and other parasites that could potentially carry and transmit harmful diseases to the cactus. What type of relationship is this? A. Mutualism B. Commensalism C. Parasitism Check: Mutualism! The woodpecker is getting food and the cactus is maintaining its health because of the birds help.
Quick Spider mites pierce plants and suck the sugar from the plants. This causes the plants to lose nutrients. The spider mites gets some good sugar. What type of relationship is this? A. Mutualism B. Commensalism C. Parasitism Check: Parasitism! The spider mites are benefiting at the expense of the plant that is being harmed.
Quick In the Tundra, the caribou and reindeers feed on lichens. While the caribou is on the prowl looking for food, the artic fox follows closely behind. After the caribou is done digging in the ground for its food, the artic fox comes from behind and continues digging in the hole to get the food it needs. What type of relationship is this? A. Mutualism B. Commensalism C. Parasitism Check: Commensalism The caribou is not affected by the presence of the artic fox, but the artic fox is benefiting from the caribou doing some digging.
Quick A small bird called an oxpecker can be found riding on the back of a rhino. The oxpecker enjoys picking the ticks off of the rhino for food. He also enjoys alerting the rhino when there is danger. What type of relationship is this? A. Mutualism B. Commensalism C. Parasitism Check: Mutualism! The oxpecker is not only getting a free meal but he is helping the rhino stay bug free and alerting it of danger.
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