Download Today`s Topic Specific Relationships

Today’s Topic – Specific
Relationships
Learning Goal:
SWBAT differentiate between predation,
parasitism, and other interspecific relationships.
 Pick two creatures that reside in the same
community.
 What are some ways in which creatures
interact with each other?
 Are these interactions good for both species?
Explain.
Relationships
 When creatures interact with each other,
the relationship can be helpful, harmful, or
neutral between one or two of the species.
 These interactions can shape the
communities in which these organisms live.
 It is therefore important to examine the
somewhat complicated relationships
between species.
Specific Relationships
 In discussing these relationships, it is
important to note how each species is
affected by another.
 The symbols +, -, and 0 are going to be
used to represent the effects of these
relationships.
 What will each symbol represent for our
species?
Specific Relationships
 For example: a bee and a flower.
 Bees fly from flower to flower gathering nectar,
which they make into food, which benefits the
bees.
 When they land in a flower, the bees get
pollen on their hairy bodies.
 When they land in the next flower, some pollen
from the first one rubs off, pollinating the plant.
 What symbol would we give to the bee? To the
flower?
Mutualism
 Because both the bee and the flower
benefit from this interaction, this is known
a mutualism relationship. (+/+)
 Mutualism is a relationship in which two
or more species benefit from the
interaction.
 Are there any other examples you can
think of?
Specific Relationships
 As we see from our worksheets, there
are a number of relationships that exist
between creatures.
 Let’s examine each one and find out how
it affects both parties.
 When we have identified the relationship,
fill it into the grid on the top of the first
page.
Example
 A hungry bear out in the woods goes out
and kills and eats a rabbit.
 Based on what you know, what type of
relationship exists between the bear and
the rabbit?
 How would we
show this using
our symbols?
Predation
 This type of relationship is known as
predation.
 Predation is the process by which an
individual of one species hunts, captures,
kills, and consumes
an individual of
another species.
 Any other examples?
Example
 While spending time outside, your dog
comes inside with a tick embedded in its
skin.
 The tick grows fatter and fatter,
nourishing itself off of
your dog’s blood.
 What does this
relationship look like
using symbols?
Parasitism
 This known as parasitism.
 Parasitism is a relationship in which one
organism, the parasite, depends on
another, the host, for nourishment or
some other benefit.
 In the process, the
host is harmed.
Parasitism
 Although the host is harmed, the
parasitism does not result in the host
organism’s immediate death.
 Are there any other examples you can
think of?
Example
 In visiting your Grandma’s house, you
notice that she has a family of deer that
eat the bushes and shrubs in her back
yard.
 How could we
show this using
our symbols?
 What is this
called?
Herbivory
 Herbivory is the interaction in which an
animal feeds on a plant.
 In most cases, the herbivore does not kill
the plant directly,
but may affect its
growth and
reproduction.
Example
 Two competing groups of chimpanzees
fight over a piece of land.
 In their battles, members of the group die
and the land is
never fully settled
by either group.
 How can we show
this?
Competition
 This is shown using competition (either
interspecific or intraspecific).
 In this example, both species are
harmed.
Example
 Outside of your house, you have a black
walnut tree. You notice that when the
black walnuts fall on the ground, they
seem to kill the grass they rest on top of.
 The Juglone in the
walnuts acts as a
natural weed and
plant killer, so the
grass dies.
Example
 How could we show this using our
symbols?
 Is either of the plants benefitting from the
interaction?
 Are either of them
unaffected?
Amensalism
 In amensalism, one organism is
inhibited or destroyed while the other
organism is unaffected.
 Can you think of
any other
examples
of amensalism?
Example
 Clownfish live amid the tentacles of the
anemones which protect the clown fish
from predators. The predators are
poisoned by the nematocysts of the
anemones.
 What does
this look like
with our
symbols?
Commensalism
 Commensalism describes a relationship
in which one species benefits and the
other is unaffected.
 Any other examples?
Example
 Owls have a relationship with the grass
that their food eats.
 Are owls directly affected
by grass?
 Do they interact with
grass?
 Is the grass affected by
owls?
Neutralism
 Neutralism describes the relationship
between two species that interact but do
not affect each other.
 The health of one species
has absolutely no effect
on that of the other.
 Many argue that this is
not truly a relationship.