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?

Parasitism Mutualism Commensalism

both organisms

benefit

one organism

benefits

one organism

benefits

one organism

is unaffected

one organism

is harmed

Mutualism

Organism One Organism Two

Commensalism

Organism One Organism Two

Parasitism

Organism 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 (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

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

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