Symbiosis

Our goal for today is to answer these questions:

•  What is symbiosis? •  What are the different kinds of symbiosis? •  What are some examples of symbiosis?

What is symbiosis?

�the act of living together

Symbiosis

What it means: • Two organisms that live together • Temporarily or for a longer time • At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship

What are the different kinds of symbiosis?

Mutualism Parasitism Commensalism

both organisms benefit

one organism benefits

one organism benefits

one organism is unaffected

one organism is harmed

MutualismOrganism One Organism Two

Commensalism

Organism One Organism Two

ParasitismOrganism One Organism Two

Acacia Plant & Ants The ants lay eggs on

acacia tree so they get a nice safe place for

their eggs. The acacia covers the infected

area with brown flesh (called a gall.) The

plant has to use valuable resources to

create the gall.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

parasitism

Anemone & Anemone Fish

mutualism

This fish lives its entire adult life among the tentacles of a bulb-

tentacle sea anemone. Anemone fish do not get stung by the

anemone as would most other fish so they get protection from

predators. The fish often drop food scraps which the anemones

can eat.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

Boxer Crab & Anemones

This Boxer Crab carries a pair of stinging anemones in its claws, which it uses

to defend itself from predators. The anemones get to move around which

increases their food supply.

mutualism

What symbiotic relationship is this?

The remora attaches itself to the shark and saves energy since it doesn’t

have to swim, and it gets to snack on the sharks kills.

The shark doesn’t get anything.

Shark & Remora

commensalism

What symbiotic relationship is this?

This tiny emperor shrimp is riding along on the back of a sea cucumber (a long worm-like starfish relative) while it crawls along a sandy bottom.

The shrimp gets to travel around under the protection of its much larger partner, and

the sea cucumber doesn't seem to mind.

Emperor Shrimp & Sea Cucumber

commensalism

What symbiotic relationship is this?

Moray Eel & Cleaner Fish

This moray eel has a small fish cleaning between its teeth. The eel gets a clean mouth while the

cleaner fish gets a nice meal.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

mutualism

Cattle & Cattle Egrets

As these cattle walk around eating grass they stir up lots of insects. The egrets hang around and get a yummy meal of

insects.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

commensalism

Clown Fish & Anemone

This clown fish swims in the anemone and gets protection, since its

predators will get stung. The anemone is

unaffected.

What symbiotic relationship is this?commensalism

Antelope & Ox Bird

This ox bird hangs out on the antelope and gets a delicious meal of bugs living on the antelope. The antelope gets rid

of parasites.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

mutualism

Loa Loa Worm & Human

This worm infects human the blood stream and gets a nice warm safe home there. The human may go

blind or have other complications as a

result.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

parasitism

Goby and Alpheid Shrimp

What symbiotic relationship is this?

mutualism

This alpheid shrimp (onthe right) uses its strong claws like a bulldozer to create a burrow in the

sand. The shrimp is nearly blind. It relies upon its partner, the sharp-eyed

goby, to warn of danger. When a potential predator approaches, both animals disappear quickly into the

burrow

Wrasse & Batfish Can you see the two cleaner wrasses are

removing parasites from a batfish? One of the

wrasses has entered the gill slit of the batfish, and

may even enter itsmouth in search of food.

The batfish gets a bath and the wrasse gets a

meal.

What symbiotic relationship is this? mutualism

Hummingbird Moth & Flower

This hummingbird moth is drinking the nectar of a flower. The flower gets

pollinated (the moth brings pollen from other flowers) and the moth gets a tasty

meal.

What symbiotic relationship is this?

mutualism

Let’s Review

1.  What is symbiosis? 2.  What are the different kinds of symbiosis? 3.  Describe one example of each kind of

symbiotic relationship.

Answer each of following questions on a sheet of lined paper.