Engage: Biological Relationship Tic-Tac-Toe

Lesson 9 Biology

Host Mutualism Prey

Competition Parasitism Predation

Commensalism Predator Symbiosis

______

Symbiosis Commensalism Prey

Parasitism Host Competition

Predation Mutualism Predator

Lesson 9 Biology

Engage: Biological Relationship Tic-Tac-Toe

Predation Symbiosis Predator

Parasitism Competition Host

Prey Mutualism Commensalism

Prey Commensalism Symbiosis

Competition Mutualism Predation

Parasitism Predator Host

Lesson 9 Biology Explore: Predator-Prey Simulation

Organism Yarn Color Food Source cricket green grass (popcorn) frog yellow crickets hawk red frogs fox brown frogs

Trial Time of Trial Animal with Animal with Greatest Survival Least Survival 1 Equal distribution

2 Population change: Increase the number of frogs 3 Population change: Decrease the number of frogs and increase the number of crickets 4 Population change: Increase the number of hawks and decrease the number of frogs

Questions

1. What animal(s) did you play? Describe what you did as the animal(s) to increase your chance of survival.

2. What happened when the population changed and there were more frogs in the ecosystem?

3. What happened when the population changed and there were fewer frogs in the ecosystem?

4. What occurred when the population changed, the hawk population increased, and the number of frogs decreased?

5. What if you survived but were not able to get five pieces of popcorn? How does this translate to what actually happens within an ecosystem?

Lesson 9 Biology

Explain Part 1: Predator-Prey Relationships

 Identify the role and the relationship between the organisms in the Explore activity using the appropriate vocabulary words from the Engage activity.  Create a definition of each of the vocabulary words in your own words with your partner.  In your science notebook, record your definitions and the answers to the questions below.

Questions

In the Explore activity: 1. What is the role of the frog in regards to the cricket?

2. What is the role of the frog in regards to the hawk?

3. What is occurring between the hawk and the fox?

4. What is the relationship between the grass (popcorn) and the cricket?

Lesson 9 Biology Explain Part 2: Symbiotic Relationships

Many species in an ecosystem share close relationships with other species. When an organism shares a close relationship it is known as symbiosis. There are different types of symbiotic relationships. In some relationships, the interactions between organisms are beneficial to both species while in others, one species may gain but the other has no known effect or is harmed in the interaction.

Mutualism When a relationship between two organisms is beneficial to both organisms, the relationship is defined as mutualism. For example, ants routinely milk the honeydew secretions from aphids (insect) for a food source and, in return, the ants protect the aphids from predators. Both organisms benefit from the interaction.

Commensalism In other organism interactions, one species may benefit from the relationship but the other species neither benefits nor is harmed. This type of relationship is commensalism. An example of a communalistic relationship can be seen between the remora and larger animals, such as whales or sharks. Remora are equipped with a suction disk on the back of their heads and “catch a ride” on the larger animals. Whales and sharks tend to be messy eaters, so when food from the larger animal floats by, the remora collects the scraps. The remora gets food, but the larger animal has no benefit and is not harmed in the process.

Parasitism A third type of relationship between organisms is parasitism. In a parasitic relationship, one organism benefits and the other is harmed. The parasite feeds off a host, an organism in which a parasite resides. The relationship may even cause death to the organism. Plasmodium malariae is a parasite that is transferred from animal to animal by mosquitoes. Once the parasite enters the host animal, it attacks and destroys the red blood cells for a food source. In return, the host animal develops malaria, suffering chills, fevers, sweats, and even death.

Lesson 9 Biology Explain Part 2: Symbiotic Relationships Activity

Instructions: Read each passage below with your partner and interpret the relationship of the pair of organisms. If the organism benefits from the interaction, place a plus (+) sign in the box. If the organism is unaffected from the interaction, place a zero (0) in the box. If the organism is harmed by the interaction, place a minus (–) sign in the box. If the organism dies from the interaction, place an X in the box. Identify the relationship between the organisms in the space provided.

1. The cattle egret is a bird that forages in the fields alongside livestock (cattle and horses). As livestock graze, their movement in the grass stirs up the insects that live in the grass. The cattle egrets eat the insects. The livestock are not affected by the interaction.

Egret (bird) Livestock

Relationship:

2. The cleaner fish cleans inside of the mouth of a Moray Eel. The fish eats the particles that are inside the eel’s mouth and obtains food. The eel does not eat the fish, but does get a clean mouth. The eel provides protection to the small fish from its natural predators.

Fish Moray Eel

Relationship:

3. Many species of birds fly close to the surface of the water in search of food. If the bird gets too close to the water, it leaves itself vulnerable to organisms living in the water, such as sharks. The sharks will come to the surface and attack the bird, dragging it beneath the water.

Bird Shark

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology 4. Flesh-eating bacteria known as Streptococcus pyogenes consume the flesh of humans as a food source. The bacteria are able to enter an open wound on the surface of the skin. If the immunity is weakened, the bacterium releases toxins that destroy the skin and soft tissue.

Bacteria Human

Relationship:

5. In order to move, a pseudoscorpion will catch a ride on insects such as a fly or beetle. The pseudoscorpion gets to where it is going and the fly or beetle is unaffected by the interaction.

Pseudoscorpion Fly/Beetle

Relationship:

6. Downy mildew is an oomycete, a protist that infects the vines forming plants and crucifers. The oomycete consumes the plant tissue as a food source. The plant forms brown spots on its leaves, which then wither and fall off.

Mildew Plant

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology Elaborate: Biological Relationship Scenarios

Scenario 1 Aphids are small insects that feed on the sap of phloem vessels in plants and are often referred to as tree lice. They are most commonly found in temperate climates where they are among the most destructive insects to cultivated plants.

In order to control the population of aphids without the use of pesticides, farmers and gardeners will introduce ladybugs to the area. A ladybug can consume up to 1,000 aphids in 1 day. The ladybugs get a food source and the plant is rid of the aphids.

Identify the type of relationship shared by the organisms in the above passage.

Scenario 2

The sloth is a tree-dwelling animal that lives in the jungles of Central and South

America. It lives on a diet that mainly consists of leaves and insects. Sloths have a

greenish shaggy coat that contains grooves where two types of blue-green algae

make a nice, comfortable home. This provides the sloth with the greenish coat that

camouflages it from its predators, and the photosynthetic algae are able to get

closer to the Sun when attached to the sloth.

Identify the type of relationship shared by the organisms in the above passage.

Scenario 3

In sub-Saharan Africa, oxpeckers (a kind of bird) land on the backs of large animals,

such as cattle, rhinos, and zebras, where it feeds on ticks, the botfly, dead skin,

blood, sweat, mucus, insects, infected wounds, earwax, and other parasites.

Oxpeckers provide the animals with grooming and remove unwanted pests. In the

presence of danger, the oxpecker also flies upward and screams a warning that

alerts the animal.

Recent research may shed new light on the relationship between the oxpecker and

large animals. It was previously thought that the animals’ wounds healed faster

when the oxpecker cleaned the wounds, but this may not be the case. It has been

observed that oxpeckers prolong the healing of wounds and also create new

wounds when removing earwax. Since the primary food source is ticks and ticks are

full of blood, the primary target of the oxpecker may be blood.

If the oxpeckers share the relationship in the first paragraph with the livestock, what type of relationship is being exhibited? If the relationship is what is described in the second paragraph, what type of relationship do they share?

Lesson 9 Biology

Scenario 4 Amphibians such as frogs and toads often feed on adult beetles. It was once

believed that they also fed on the beetle larvae, but when more closely studied, a different behavior was observed. The beetle larvae use a unique movement of their

antennae and formidable-looking mandibles to draw the attention of amphibians. The amphibian attacks and the larvae almost always avoid the protracted tongue.

The beetle larva takes this opportunity to latch itself to the nearest part of the animal using its mandible. It then repositions itself onto the amphibian and the feast begins.

Identify the type of relationship between the amphibian and the beetle larvae.

Scenario 5 The oyster crab, or pea crab, is a small, nearly translucent crab that makes its home

inside of oyster shells off the Atlantic Coast of North America. The tiny larva enters the oyster shell seeking shelter and protection. Once the oyster crab is grown, it is

trapped inside the shell, too large to fit through the tiny opening on the oyster shell. The crab remains inside the shell for the duration of its lifespan and feeds off of the

food particles inside the oyster shell, causing no harm to the oyster inside.

Identify the type of relationship that exists between the oyster crab and the oyster.

Scenario 6

In the United States and parts of Canada, a cabbage white caterpillar is feasting on the leaf of a cabbage. Once the caterpillar begins devouring the leaf, a chemical

alarm is set off by the cabbage leaf. Nearby, a wasp (C. glomerata) senses the alarm and rushes to the cabbage leaf. The wasp implants its eggs into the

caterpillar, where the offspring will hatch and eat the caterpillar from the inside out as it grows. These wasps are not the only ones that have sensed the chemical

alarm of the cabbage leaf. The L. nana wasp has also picked up the signal, but has a different intention. The L. nana wasp rushes to the cabbage leaf and implants its

eggs into the wasp grubs, or pupae, laid by the previous wasp, C. glomerata.

What type of relationship exists between the wasps C. glomerata and L. nana?

What type of relationship exists between the wasp C. glomerata and the caterpillar? What role does the caterpillar play in the relationship with the C. glomerata?

Identify the type of relationship between the cabbage leaf and the caterpillar.

Lesson 9 Biology

Scenario 7 The now extinct dodo bird once inhabited the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It resided on the island for so long that it lost the ability to fly. With no real predators, it nested on the ground eating fruits that fell from the trees. In 1505, the island was discovered and became a major trade area for spices. The dodo bird, weighing around 50 lbs, offered a nice source of fresh meat for the traders. Later, the Dutch used the island as a penal colony and introduced pigs and monkeys. Rats were also introduced when they escaped the ships visiting the island. The rats, pigs, and monkeys would eat the eggs of the dodo birds. The combination of human activities and the introduction of new species to the island drastically reduced the population of the dodo bird. In 1681, the last dodo bird was killed.

Recently, scientists have studied a rare tree that inhabits Mauritius and upon closer observation they discovered all of the 13 remaining trees were at least 300 years old. There have been no new trees since the 1600s. Scientists discovered that the dodo birds ate the fruits from the trees and only by passing the seeds through their digestive system could the seeds be activated for growth. In order to save the rare tree, turkeys have been introduced to the area since their digestive system, in regards to processing the seeds, mimics that of the dodo birds. This may possibly save the tree from extinction. It has been named the “dodo tree.”

What type of relationship existed between the monkeys and the dodo bird? Identify the type of relationship that existed between the dodo bird and the Mauritius tree.

Scenario 8 In 1983, a European catfish was introduced to the River Tarn at Albi, in southwestern France. The catfish grow up to 1–1.5 meters and are the largest freshwater fish on the continent. In the River Tarn, there is a small island where pigeons bathe themselves. It was recently observed that a large catfish lunged out of the water, temporarily stranding itself on land for a few seconds, grabbing a pigeon, and then wriggling back into the water to consume its victim.

What type of relationship exists between the catfish and the pigeon? What role does the pigeon play in this relationship? What role does the catfish play in this relationship?

Lesson 9 Biology Elaborate: Biological Relationship Scenarios*

Scenario 1 Aphids are small insects that feed on the sap of phloem vessels in plants and are destructive to crops and garden plants. In order to help control aphids naturally, farmers and gardeners will introduce ladybugs that eat aphids as their food source.

What type of relationship exists between the aphid and the ladybug?

Ladybug Aphid

Relationship:

Scenario 2 The sloth is a tree-dwelling animal that lives in the jungles of Central and South America. Its diet mainly consists of leaves and insects. Sloths have a greenish shaggy coat that contains grooves where two types of blue-green algae live. This provides the sloth with the greenish coat that camouflages it from its predators and enables the photosynthetic algae to get closer to the Sun since the sloth lives up in the trees. Identify the type of relationship shared by the sloth and the algae.

Sloth Algae

Relationship:

Scenario 3 In sub-Saharan Africa, oxpeckers (a kind of bird) land on the backs of large animals such as cattle, rhinos, and zebras where it feeds on ticks, the botfly, dead skin, blood, sweat, mucus, insects, infected wounds, earwax, and other parasites. They provide the animals with grooming and remove unwanted pests. The oxpecker also alerts the animal of the presence of danger by flying upward and screaming a warning.

What type of relationship does the oxpecker and the animal share?

Oxpecker Animal

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology

Scenario 4 Amphibians such as frogs and toads often feed on adult beetles. It was once believed that they also fed on the beetle larvae, but when studied more closely, a different behavior was observed. The beetle larvae use a unique movement of their antennae and formidable-looking mandibles to draw the attention of amphibians. The amphibian attacks and the larvae almost always avoid being caught. The beetle larva takes this opportunity to latch itself to the nearest part of the animal using its mandible and begins to feast on the amphibian.

Identify the type of relationship that exists between the amphibian and the beetle larvae. Amphibian Beetle Larvae

Relationship:

Scenario 5 The oyster crab, or pea crab, is a small, nearly translucent crab that makes its home inside of oyster shells off the Atlantic Coast of North America. The tiny larva enters the oyster shell seeking shelter and protection as it grows. Once the oyster crab is grown, it is trapped inside the shell and is too large to fit through the tiny opening on the oyster shell. The crab remains inside the shell for the duration of its lifespan and feeds off of the food particles inside the oyster shell, causing no harm to the oyster inside.

Identify the type of relationship that exists between the oyster crab and the oyster.

Crab Oyster

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology

Scenario 6 In the United States and parts of Canada, cabbage white caterpillars feast on the leaves of cabbage. Once the caterpillar begins devouring the leaf, a chemical alarm is set off by the cabbage leaf. Nearby, a wasp picks up the alarm and rushes to the cabbage leaf where it implants its eggs into the caterpillar. The wasp’s offspring hatch and eat the caterpillar from the inside out as it grows.

What type of relationship exists between the wasp and the caterpillar? What role does the caterpillar play in its relationship with the wasp?

Caterpillar Wasp

Relationship:

Scenario 7 The now extinct dodo bird once inhabited the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It resided on the island for so long that it lost the ability to fly. With no real predators, it nested on the ground, eating fruits that fell from the trees. In 1505, the island was discovered and became a major trade area for spices. The dodo bird, weighing around 50 lbs, offered a nice source of fresh meat for the traders. Later, the Dutch used the island as a penal colony and introduced pigs and monkeys. Rats were also introduced when they escaped the ships visiting the island. The rats, pigs, and monkeys would eat the eggs of the dodo birds. The dodo bird population decreased, and the last bird was killed in 1681.

Recently, scientists have studied a rare tree that inhabits Mauritius and observed that only 13 trees exist and all are at least 300 years old. They discovered that the dodo birds ate the fruits from the trees and passed the seeds through their digestive system, which activated the seeds for growth.

Identify the type of relationship that existed between the dodo bird and the Mauritius tree.

Dodo Bird Tree

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology

Scenario 8 In 1983, a European catfish was introduced to a river in southwestern France. The catfish grow up to 1–1.5 meters and are the largest freshwater fish on the continent. In the river, there is a small island where pigeons bathe themselves. It was recently observed that a large catfish lunged out of the water, temporarily stranding itself on land for a few seconds, grabbing a pigeon, and then wriggling back into the water to consume its victim.

What type of relationship exists between the catfish and the pigeon? What role does the pigeon play in this relationship? What role does the catfish play in this relationship?

Catfish Pigeon

Relationship:

Lesson 9 Biology Name: ______Date: ______

Evaluate: Biological Relationships

1 Two different secondary consumers feed on mice of the same species. This relationship is an example of —

A mutualism

B commensalism

C competition

D parasitism

2 Braconid wasps lay their eggs on the back of hornworms. The wasp larvae consume the

hornworm from the inside out as it grows. The hornworm dies and is never able to become

a butterfly. This relationship is an example of —

mutualism F

commensalism G

competition H

parasitism J

3 Barnacles are crustaceans that, as adults, do not move. In the larvae stage, they swim and attach themselves to the surface of whales where they have a nutrient-rich environment. The whale receives no benefit from the interaction and is not harmed. This relationship is an example of —

A mutualism

B commensalism

C competition

D parasitism

Lesson 9 Biology

4 Heartworms are nematodes that affect many domestic pets in the United States. The heartworm is a parasitic worm that invades the arteries of the lungs and sometimes the right side of the heart in small animals. The infection is serious and can be fatal. What role does the domestic pet play in its relationship with the heartworm?

F Host

G Predator

H Prey

J Benefactor

5 The Heliconia butterfly larvae feed on leaves from passionflower vines. When the leaves

are attacked, they produce a toxin. This larvae is able to consume the toxin into its tissue

and become poisonous to any organism that might try to eat it. Describe and identify the

relationship that exists between the butterfly larvae and the vines.