Symbiosis Basics
What is the term for a close relationship between two different species?
What is symbiosis?
In mutualism, how many organisms benefit?
What is two?
What is the organism called that a parasite lives on or in?
What is a host?
In commensalism, how many organisms benefit?
What is one?
What is it called when one animal kills another for food?
What is predation?
What type of symbiotic relationship exists when an owl nests in a tree without harming it?
What is commensalism?
What do butterflies get from flowers in a mutualistic relationship?
What is nectar?
Name one example of a parasite.
What is a tapeworm, tick, flea, or lice?
What do barnacles gain by attaching to whales?
What is access to food in the water?
What is the difference between a predator and prey?
The predator hunts; the prey is hunted
Which type of symbiosis harms one organism while benefiting the other?
What is parasitism?
How do flowers benefit from butterflies?
What is pollination?
Why don’t parasites usually kill their hosts?
Because they need the host to stay alive to survive.
Why is an owl nesting in a tree considered commensalism?
Because the owl benefits from shelter, and the tree is unaffected.
What happens to the wolf population when the rabbit population decreases?
What is the wolf population also decreases?
Certain bacteria help plants by producing beneficial chemicals. What type of relationship is this?
What is mutualism?
What evidence supports that bacteria and plant roots have a mutualistic relationship?
A. The bacteria cannot survive when removed from the plant roots.
B. Plants with more bacteria on their roots have higher survival and reproduction rates.
C. The bacteria change depending on the soil type and plant species.
What is B?
B. Plants with more bacteria on their roots have higher survival and reproduction rates.
This is clear evidence of mutualism because it demonstrates a positive effect on the plant, while the bacteria also benefit by having a place to live and grow.
How is parasitism different from predation?
Parasites usually don’t kill their host, while predators kill their prey.
what evidence supports that a relationship is commensalism?
What is one organism benefits while the other is unaffected?
What is the difference between interspecific and intraspecific competition?
Interspecific is between different species; intraspecific is within the same species.
Name the three main types of symbiotic relationships.
What are mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism?
what two environmental factors are most likely to lead to mutualism in an ecosystem?
What are high species diversity and an abundance of primary producers?
Why is a tick feeding on a cat considered parasitism and not mutualism or commensalism?
Because the tick benefits and the cat is harmed.
Why might it be difficult to prove that a relationship is truly commensal?
Because the unaffected organism might actually be helped or harmed in ways that are hard to detect.
How can competition and predation lead to adaptations?
They favor traits that help organisms survive and reproduce.