Transcript Eco-Relationships

Best Buddies
A look at Symbiotic Relationships
in an ecosystem.
Symbiotic-Relationships
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Every plant & critter needs energy
to survive & thrive. Because of
this, many inter-species
relationships have been forged for
the survival and purpose of
accumulating this energy.
Symbiosis/ Symbiotic Relationships
The living together of two different organisms and how they get
their food.
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Think in terms of benefit, harmed or killed.
These can be categorized into 3 categories
Mutualism – both benefit
Commensalism – one benefits, the other is unaffected
Parasitism – one benefits, the other is harmed
Other ecological relationships include:
Producer/ Consumer – Plant is harmed, animal benefits
Competition – limited resources, both are disadvantaged
Predator / Prey – Predator benefits, the prey meets it’s demise
Producer / Consumer
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Producer produces
food
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Consumer eats the
food
Competition
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Both species both compete and fight for the
same space and food.
Two types of predators competing for
food
Two Bugs competing for nectar in a
flower
Predator / Prey
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One species benefits, the other DIES!
Parasitism
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One species benefits, the other is harmed but
NOT killed.
A parasitic wasp that laid her eggs on or in
the spiny caterpillar's body. The parasitic
wasp larvae ate most of their host,
avoiding the vital organs, so that the
caterpillar stayed alive.
Mistletoe grows on established trees, taking
nutrients and water from the tree. Not
enough to kill it, but to limit its growth.
Commensalism
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One species is benefited, the other neither
benefits nor is harmed
The barnacle benefits by finding a habitat
where nutrients are available. The presence of
barnacle populations does not appear to
hamper or enhance the survival of the animals
carrying them.
A common Cattle Egret rides on an
African Buffalo – the bird gets free
transportation and eats the bug the
buffalo rustles up – the buffalo is
unaffected by the bird.
Humpback whale
Mutualism
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Both Species Mutually Benefit from each
other
The fungus gets food from the
photosynthesizing algae and the algae gets
a place to live.
The caterpillars have nectar organs
which the ants drink from. The ants
provide protection for the caterpillar.
Ecosystem Relationships
type of interaction
sign effects
Mutualism
+/+
both species benefit from
interaction
Commensalism
+/0
one species benefits, one
unaffected
Competition
-/-
each species affected
negatively
Predator/Prey,
Parasitism,
Producer/Consumer
+/-
one species benefits, one is
disadvantaged
Mushroom
Forest
Forests take in sunlight and produce food.
Meanwhile the mushroom helps to break
down dead stuff and recycle the material
back into the forest ecosystem.
Elephant
Grassland
The savannahs of Africa are home to
many elephants and other critters. They
provide food, shelter and water that the
elephants need to live and survive.
Hunter
Elk
During the months of October,
many hunters help reduce the
number of elk in the forest by
hunting them and using their
meat for food.
Grasshopper
Leaves
Grasshoppers have been known to devour whole crops. They eat most any vegetation.
Ant
Aphid
Aphids get their energy and nutrients from sucking on the sugar in the sap found in
plants. But they don’t need all of the sugar they get from the sap and pass it on as
honeydew. Ants collect the honeydew by tapping on their antenna and offer
protection from predators.
Cowbird
(Eats insects stirred up by herds)
Buffalo
Buffalo used to travel in herds across the plains,
as they walked through the grass the insects
would fly out of the grass and the cowbirds would
eat them. The cowbirds would follow the buffalo,
which helped them catch insects. This neither
helped or hurt the buffalo.
Honey Guide
(Eats Bee Larve)
Honey Badger
(Loves to eat honey)
Honey guide birds exhibit a unique pattern by calling out
loudly and chattering that attracts the badger's attention.
Then flies ahead, toward the bees' nest, making sure the
badger is following.
On arrival, the badger tears open the bees' nest and feast
on the bees' wax, honey, and larvae --making sure some
are left over for its loyal referral--the honey guide bird.
Snail
Has a home – gets rid of it when he’s
out grown it.
Hermit Crab
Needs a Home
A hermit crab lives in shells
that are made and then
abandoned by snails. This
neither harms nor benefits
the snail.
Tick
Deer
A tick feeds on deer blood to the detriment of the deer.
Warbler
Cuckoo
A cuckoo may lay its eggs in a warbler’s
nest. The cuckoo’s young will displace
the warbler’s young and will be raised by
the warbler.
Gazelle
Ostrich
These two animals feed next to each other in the grasslands. Both watch for predators
and alert each other to danger. The visual abilities of these two animals are different
so they are able to identify threats the other animal would not see.
Shark
Remora
A remora attaches themselves to a shark’s body. They travel with the shark and
feed on the left over food from the shark’s meals. They also eat parasites on the
shark’s skin, keeping him clean and healthy. This does not hurt the shark.
Charades
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Pick a relationship card. You will act out the
relationship on the card without saying a
word. Your goal is to get the class to guess
the animals involved and then what type of
relationship they have.
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NO VIOLENCE ALLOWED!