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Spectacular Science Symbiotic Relationships Practice Packet

This document provides examples of symbiotic relationships between various organisms. It includes a practice packet with cartoons depicting symbiotic relationships and a table identifying 20 organism pairs and whether their relationship is parasitic, commensalistic, or mutualistic. The table describes how each set of organisms interacts and whether the relationship benefits, harms, or has no effect on the organisms involved.

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250 views

Spectacular Science Symbiotic Relationships Practice Packet

This document provides examples of symbiotic relationships between various organisms. It includes a practice packet with cartoons depicting symbiotic relationships and a table identifying 20 organism pairs and whether their relationship is parasitic, commensalistic, or mutualistic. The table describes how each set of organisms interacts and whether the relationship benefits, harms, or has no effect on the organisms involved.

Uploaded by

nareman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: ________________________________________ Date: ____________

Symbiotic Relationships Practice Packet

Part I: Explain what is going on in the cartoons below. Make sure to include the type of symbiotic
relationship that is being exemplified.
Part II: Below are examples of organisms with a brief overview of their relationships with one another.
Identify the type of relationship the organisms are exemplifying by writing a P for parasitic, C for
commensalistic or M for mutualistic.

Symbiotic
Organisms Overview of Relationship Relationship
(P, C, M)
1. Barnacle & Whale Barnacles create home sites by attaching themselves to whales. As the
barnacle is a filter feed, it also gets access to more water (and more food)
due to the relationship. The whale is unaffected.

2. Cuckoo & Warbler A cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of the warbler. The cuckoo’s eggs hatch
first and the young kick the warbler eggs out of the nest. The warbler
raises the cuckoo babies and the warbler babies aren’t hatched.

3. Remora & Shark Remoras attach themselves to a shark’s body. They travel with the shark
and feed on the leftover food scraps after the shark has finished its meal.
The shark is unaffected as it's done eating anyway.

4. Ostrich & Gazelle Ostriches and gazelles feed next to each other. They both watch for
predators. Because the visual abilities of the two species are different,
they can each identify threats that the other animal may not see as
readily. Both species benefit.

5. Mistletoe & Spruce Mistletoe extracts water and nutrients from the spruce tree to the
detriment (ill effect) to the spruce.

6. Silverfish & Army Silverfish live and hunt with army ants and share the prey. They neither
Ant help nor harm the ants.

7. Oxpecker & Oxpeckers (bird) feed on the ticks found on rhinoceros. Both species
Rhinoceros benefit. The oxpecker gets food and the rhinoceros gets rid of a parasite.

8. Mouse & Flea A flea feeds on a mouse’s blood to the mouse’s detriment.

9. Honey Guide Bird & Honey guide birds alert and direct badgers to bee hives. The badgers then
Badger expose the hives and feed on the honey first. Next the honey guide birds
eat. Both benefit.

10. Cowbird & Bison As bison walk through grass, insects become active and are seen and eaten
by cowbirds. This relationship neither harms nor benefits the bison.

11. Human & Tapeworm Tapeworms reside in human intestines and take nutrients from the human.

12. Yucca Plant & Yucca Yucca flowers are pollinated by yucca moths. The moths lay their eggs in
Moth the flowers where the larvae hatch and eat some of the developing seeds.
Both benefit.
13. Wrasse Fish & Black Wrasse fish feed on the parasites found on the black sea bass’s body
Sea Bass (usually in the mouth). They act as dental floss for fish, thus, both species
benefit.

14. Clown Fish & Sea Clown fish live among anemones acting as a lure for the sea anemone’s
Anemone prey. The clown fish gets protection and shelter from the anemone.

15. Human & E. Coli E. Coli is a bacteria that lives in the gut of humans. The human provides
the ideal habitat for E. Coli reproduction and the E. Coli provides the extra
Vitamin K that we use.

16. Ant & Aphid Ants offer protection for the aphids who, having no protective features of
their own, would otherwise be food for all sorts of organisms. The aphids
“repay” the ants by providing honeydew (a liquid they secrete) for the
ants to use as food.

17. Trees & Epiphytes Epiphytes are a class of plants that grow in the crooks of tree branches.
They simply use the tree branches as a way to be higher - closer to the
sunlight needed for photosynthesis. The trees aren’t affected by this
relationship.

18. Deer & Tick The tick feeds off the blood of the deer. The deer is negatively affected.

19. Marabou Stork & The stork uses its saw-like bill to cut up the dead animals it eats. As a
Bee result, the dead animal carcass is accessible to some bees for food and egg
layers. The stork is neither harmed nor helped by this relationship.

20. Hermit Crab & Shell Hermit crabs will move into an old abandoned shell when their shell is no
longer big enough to contain them. As the shell is inanimate (not living) it
is not affected by this relationship.

Trees & Epiphytes Clown Fish & Sea Anemone

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