Download Relationships within Ecosystem Worksheet/Writing Assignment

Name: _______________________________________________________
Date: _______________
6th Grade Science
Period: _____________
Identify the type of interaction as…
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Predation
Competition
Mutualism
Parasitism
Commensalism
1. Tapeworm living inside the intestines of an animal
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2. The cattle egret forages in pastures and fields among livestock such as
cattle and horses, feeding on the insects stirred up by the movement of
grazing animals. The livestock do not benefit.
_______________________________________
3. The cuckoo bird attacks another bird's nest and removes the bird's
eggs. She then lays her eggs in the attacked nest and lets the
unsuspecting bird raise the cuckoo's young.
___________________________________________
4. A lynx is attacking a hare. _________________________________________
5. Barnacles attach to the shell of a scallop and gain a place to live. The
scallop is not harmed by the presence of the barnacle.
__________________________________________
6. Lichen is composed of a fungus that protects the algae while the algae
provide food produced during photosynthesis.
_________________________________________________
7. The Nile crocodile open its mouth to permit the Egyptian plover feed
on any leeches attached to its gums. The small bird gets to eat and the
croc gets its teeth cleaned. __________________________________________
8. Interaction is beneficial to one species and detrimental to the other.
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9. Cattle egrets and cow birds feed on the insects flushed out of the grass
by grazing bison, cattle and other herbivores.
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10. One species benefits from the interaction but the other is unaffected.
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11. When populations of two or more species in a community rely on
similar limiting resources. _________________________________________
12. An acacia tree provides food and housing for ants while the ants kill
any invading insects. ____________________________________________
13. Sea anemones trying to occupy the same territory in a tide pool.
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Writing Assignment: due Monday, one paragraph. Double HW grade.
Explain one interaction within an ecosystem. Give a specific example
(evidence) that supports your explanation of this interaction. (This example
can be anything we’ve discussed in class OR an example you would like to
research on your own.) Describe how this type interaction is important to the
success within the ecosystem as a whole.