ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS (Modified for ADEED) This Alaska Department of Fish and Game lesson has been selected for Yukon Flats School District use by a team of education specialists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. The lesson addresses the following Alaska Grade Level Expectations: Science [10] SA1.1 The student demonstrates an understanding of the processes of science by asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, analyzing data, developing models, inferring, and communicating. [10] SC3. 2 The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by exploring ecological relationships (e.g., competition, niche, feeding relationships, symbiosis) (L). Added Materials Alaska Ecology Cards AKSCI ©2011 Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Ecosystem Partners Ecosystem Partners Section 2 4 EXTENSIONS ECOLOGY ACTIVITIES Grade level: 4 - 12 State Standard: S A-14 Subjects: Science, language arts Skills: Reading, analyzing, Parasitism describing, defining, categorizing Mutualism Duration: 50 minutes Group size: 8+ Setting: Indoors Vocabulary: Commensalism, Commensalism mutualism, parasitism, symbioses, symbiotic relationship Objective: Title: “Symbiotic Relationships: Living Closely 1. Students will define and categorize relationships Together.” in which living things depend on one another for (1) Mutualism: A relationship where both species food, shelter, and reproduction. benefit and are dependent on each other. (2) Commensalism: A relationship where one species 2. Students will identify Alaska examples of three is dependent on another without harming the other symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, species or providing anything in return. and parasitism. (3) Parasitism: A relationship in which one species lives in or on another, getting food and shelter from Teaching Strategy: its host, and causing harm to the host as it does so. Students play a matching game in which they find pairs of living things that need each other to provide Background: food, shelter, seed transportation, pollination, or See INSIGHTS Section 2, Ecosystems – Community spore distribution. Connections. Complementary Activities: Procedure: “Follow a Food Chain” and “Mineral Cycling” in this IN ADVANCE: create a bulletin board using the section. “Ecosystem Scavenger Hunt” in Section 3. headings described under Materials. Students will “Spinning a Yarn about Ecosystems” in Section 4. later use the board to display examples of these relationships. Materials: Ecosystem Partner Cards and Practice Worksheets 1. Review the concept of ecosystems. (following), bulletin board, pins or tacks, three headings for bulletin board as follows: 98 ALASKA’S ECOLOGY 2005 2. Ask students to brainstorm relationships between 10. Ask each pair to read the cards to the class and organisms (including humans) dependent on each other explain the interactions of the organisms on the in some way. Make a class list. (Human relationships cards. As a group, decide in which symbiotic category might include dog mushers and their dogs.) to place each interaction. 3. Discuss how to categorize the items on the list. 11. After each interaction is classified, have the pair Some animals have to compete for limited resources. write the names of the partner organisms under the (See “Oh Moose”) Other animals have a predator/ prey correct category on the board, or mount the cards in relationship. (See “What’s for Dinner”) the proper place on the board. 4. Introduce the idea that some living things cannot 12. Review the different kinds of associations when live without the help of another. Discuss the terms, the board is completed. symbiotic relationships, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. VARIATIONS A. For younger students: Ask one student to stand and 5. Ask students to think of human examples of these read her card, or read it for her. Ask any other student types of relationships to reinforce the idea. Ask who thinks he has a living thing that helps or is students if any of the relationships they brainstormed helped by the first to come and link arms with the earlier would fit into the three categories of standing student. Ask the second student to read his symbiosis. You can also discuss the relationships card, and have the class decide if it is a good match. that don’t fit into these categories, determining why If the match is good, the second student stays they don’t fit. (They may be examples of predator-prey or standing, but if the match is not right, the student competitive relationships.) returns to his seat. Repeat until a partner is found. 6. Use the sample worksheet to provide practice B. Reproduce several decks of cards, each having 20 for students in classifying the symbiotic pairs showing symbiotic relationships. Divide the relationship between some Alaskan species. class into groups of 5 or 6 and give a deck of cards to Students may work independently, in groups, or each group. Play the game “Alaskan Buddies” using as a class to practice using the terms “mutualism,” the following rules (much like “Go Fish”): “commensalism,” and “parasitism.” • Deal the cards. Play starts to the left of the dealer and rotates clockwise. 7. Distribute one “Ecosystem Partners Card” to each • On your turn, draw a card from the hand of the student. Tell them each living thing shown on a card player to your left. If possible, match it with a card in interacts with the other living things that are your own hand (according to symbiotic relationships) and represented on other cards in the classroom. lay down the pair. • When a player lays down all of his or her cards, the 8. Explain that there is one special organism with game is over. The player with the largest number of which they have a symbiotic relationship. The object pairs is the winner. An extension would be to have of the activity is for the students to (1) find this special students create their own cards for future games. organism, (2) determine what type of symbiotic relationship they have, and (3) explain why. Evaluation: 1. Students pantomime symbiotic relationships, 9. Students circulate the room, looking for their giving examples of commensalism, mutualism, and symbiotic organism. (NOTE: There are symbols on the parasitism. cards which match, to help younger students to determine their partners more easily.) 2. Students describe symbiotic relationships, give an example of each type of relationship, and identify ALASKA’S ECOLOGY 2005 99 what makes symbiotic relationships different from C. Compare an ecosystem to a orchestra. competitive or predator-prey relationships. Brainstorm similarities and differences of an orchestra and an ecosystem. (In both cases, all the players 3. Given some mismatches created by the teacher are a part of the whole; each one does something different, but from the Ecosystem Partner Cards, students can all are important to one another.) How does the beauty explain why these examples are not symbiotic we perceive when looking at a forest, tundra, ocean, relationships. or wetland compare to the beautiful sounds of a symphony? What happens to the music if one or 4. Students work in teams of 2-4 to create a mural of several instruments are removed? How might this certain categories of symbiotic relationships. relate to what happens in a living ecosystem? EXTENSION: Credits: A. Add competition and predator-prey relations Adapted from “Good Buddies,” Project WILD, Western to the game. The Ecosystem Partners Cards include Regional Environmental Education Council, 1992. examples of competitive and predator-prey relationships. Repeat the game using these cards, Curriculum Connections: allowing the students to establish as many (See appendix for full citations) relationships as they can with other organisms. Include bulletin board headings for competition and Books: predation so students can include these categories Ancient Ones, The World of the Old-Growth Douglas Fir as they classify their relationships. (Bash) B. Find schoolyard examples. Take students Desert Giant, The World of the Saguaro Cactus (Bash) outside, looking for examples of interactions within an ecosystem. Challenge students to find evidence Incident at Hawk’s Hill (Eckert) of the various types of symbiotic relationships. Examples include mosses that rely on the shade of Secret Language of Snow (Williams) large trees to keep them moist, plants, and insects that rely on each other for pollination and food, or Symbiosis (Silverstein) fungi that obtains its habitat from a dead or live tree. Students list examples and bring the list inside to Tree of Life, The World of the African Baobab (Bash) add to the bulletin board. Teacher Resources: (See appendix) 100 ALASKA’S ECOLOGY 2005 ANSWER KEY FOR ECOSYSTEM PARTNER CARDS (to use if the coded graphics are erased from the cards) Worksheet 8. Raspberry – Voles (mutualism) 1. Tree swallows – Downy Woodpeckers 9. Barnacles – Whales (commensalism) (commensalism) 10. Butterfly pupae – Wasp (parasitism) 2. Fireweed – Butterflies (mutualism) 11. Hermit crab – Snail (commensalism) 3. Adult lamprey – Salmon (parasitism) 12. Lupine – Bacteria (commensalism) Commensalism, Mutualism and Competitors and Predators Parasitism Cards 1. Merlins – Pine grosbeaks (predation) 1. Junco – Cowbird (parasitism) 2. Hydra – Protozoans (predation) 2. Beavers – Goldeneye ducks (commensalism) 3. Marten – Red Squirrels