1. Symbiosis  Competition, Predation, Symbiosis, Mutualism, Commensalism, or Parasitism

2. Population – group of individuals of the same species
living in the same area, potentially interacting
Community – group of populations of different species
living in the same area, potentially interacting
What are some ecological interactions?

4. Why are ecological interactions important?
Interactions can affect distribution and abundance.
Interactions can influence evolution.
Think about how the following interactions can affect
distribution, abundance, and evolution.

5. 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?

6. What is symbiosis? Definition: the act of living together
What it means:
*Two organisms that live together
*Temporarily or for a longer time
*At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship

7. What are the different kinds of symbiosis?
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
both organisms benefit
one organism benefits
one organism benefits
one organism is unaffected
one organism is harmed

8. Symbiosis – two species live together  can include
predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism

9. Commensalism
Commensalism is a relationship between two living organisms where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

10. Organism One Organism Two
Commensalism
Organism One Organism Two

11. Commensalism – one species receives a benefit from
another species  enhances fitness of one species; no
effect on fitness of the other species

12. The clownfish lives among the forest of tentacles of an anemone and is protected from potential predators.

13. Some birds live among cattle to eat the insects stirred up as they walk. One example are egrets who hunt for insects near a grazing animal's mouth.

14. One animal attaching itself to another for transportation such as barnacles attach to shells or whales or a shrimp riding on a sea slugs.
shrimp riding on a sea slug
barnacles on whale’s tail and clam

15. One species uses a second organism for housing such as small mammals or birds that lives in holes in trees or orchids which live in trees.
Orchid in rainforest Venezuela

16. Parasitism
One organism, usually physically smaller of the two (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is harmed

17. Organism One Organism Two
Parasitism
Organism One Organism Two

18. Parasitism – one species feeds on another  enhances
fitness of parasite but reduces fitness of host

19. Ticks and fleas that live in a host animal's fur bite the animal and drink its blood are parasites.

20. Insects such as mosquitoes feeding on a host are parasites.

21. Vines such as Kudzu growing on Trees

22. Tomato Hornworm with Wasp Eggs

23. Tapeworm or Hookworms living in Host's Gut

24. The roots of the Owl Clover are partly parasitic on the roots of other desert wildflowers.

25. Mutualism
Both species benefit from the interaction.

26. Organism One Organism Two
Mutualism
Organism One Organism Two

27. Mutualism – two species provide resources or services
to each other  enhances fitness of both species

28. Flowers and their Pollinators (examples:  Bees and hummingbirds gather nectar and spread pollen.)

29. Birds and mammals eat berries and fruits while the plant benefits by the dispersal of it seeds.

30. Algae and Fungi > Lichen - Alga gets water and nutrients from the fungus and the fungus gets food from the algae.

31. Cleaners eat insect pests from the skin of animals
Cleaners eat insect pests from the skin of animals. (ex: Egyptian plover cleans giraffes and buffaloes)

32. Many herbivores such as cows, sheep, deer, horses and rabbits depend on bacteria that live in their stomachs to break down the plant material.

33. Coral Reefs- The corals get food and the algae get protection.

34. Predation
one eats another (Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eats animals.)

39. Competition – two species share a requirement for a
limited resource  reduces fitness of one or both species

40. Predation – one species feeds on another  enhances
fitness of predator but reduces fitness of prey
herbivory is a form of
predation

41. Organizing ecological interactions
effect on species 1
predation
herbivory
parasitism + -
commensalism
mutualism
effect on
species 2
competition

42. What symbiotic relationship is this?
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.
parasitism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

43. What symbiotic relationship is this?
Anemone & Anemone Fish
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.
mutualism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

44. 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?

45. What symbiotic relationship is this?
Shark & Remora
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.
commensalism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

46. Emperor Shrimp & Sea Cucumber
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.
commensalism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

47. 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.
mutualism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

48. What symbiotic relationship is this?
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

49. What symbiotic relationship is this?
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

50. What symbiotic relationship is this?
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

51. What symbiotic relationship is this?
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

52. Goby and Alpheid Shrimp
This alpheid shrimp (on
the 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
mutualism
What symbiotic relationship is this?

53. 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 its
mouth in search of food. The batfish gets a bath and the wrasse gets a meal.
What symbiotic relationship is this?
mutualism

54. Hummingbird Moth & Flower
mutualism
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?

55. Answer each of following questions on a sheet of lined paper.
Let’s Review
Answer each of following questions on a sheet of lined paper.
What is symbiosis?
What are the different kinds of symbiosis?
Describe one example of each kind of symbiotic relationship.