Organism Interactions

Abbi JohnsonMay 2, 2014

Symbiosis- a relationship between 2 different species that live on, in,

or near each other

3 Kinds of Symbiosis

•Mutualism•Commensalism•Parasitism

CommensalismCommensalism is a symbiotic relationship

in which one benefits and the other is not affected.

Examples of Commensalism Barnacles attach to whales or

mollusks to travel to different spots of the ocean to get more food and

eat the leftover food from the animal they attach to. This is commensalism

because the barnacles receive the benefit and the larger animal is not

affected.

Flatworms attach to horseshoe crabs and feed off of the food left

behind when the crab is done eating. The flatworm gets food

and the horseshoe crab is unaffected.

Barnacles attached to whales

Flatworms attached to horseshoe crabs

Mutualism

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms involved receive a benefit.

Examples of MutualismOne example of mutualism is a bee

pollinating a flower. The bee benefits by receiving food and gathering

things to make honey. The flower benefits because the pollen collected from one flower goes to the next one that the bee lands on, fertilizing the

second flower, and can then produce offspring.

Another example is sea anemone and a clown fish. The clown fish lives

on the sea anemone, which shocks the predators of the clown fish when they try to eat it. The sea anemone

receives the benefit of fertilizer from the clown fish's feces. This is

mutualism because both the clown fish and the sea anemone are

benefited.

Bee pollinating a flower Clownfish living in sea anemone

Parasitism

Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which one organism (parasite) receives a benefit and the other

organism (host) is harmed.

Examples of ParasitismOne example of parasitism is fleas

attaching to humans or animals. The flea is benefited by getting food which is the

animal’s blood. The other animal is harmed because they lose blood and can

become sick.

Another example of parasitism is leeches attaching to humans. The leech benefits because it receives food, which is the human’s blood.

The human can lose lots of blood or become sick. This is parasitism

because one organism is benefited and the other is harmed.

a flea feeding on blood

A leech attached to a human

Other relationships that are not symbiotic:

• Competition• Cooperation• Predation

Competition

Competition is a relationship in which organisms compete for resources such as food, water, and a place to stay and

make shelter.

Examples of CompetitionThe Peruvian warbling antbird and the yellow-breasted antbird inhabit

the same environments, their territories frequently collide or end up inside the other. Contact often

brings the birds into fights, and these species compete over both nesting

space and food.

Competition also occurs between animals of the same species. For

example, male deer fight for dominance and mates. They fight

until the other is too weak to fight or injured.

Yellowbreasted antbird (left) and Peruvian Warbling antbird (right)

Two male deer fighting for dominance and mates

Cooperation

Cooperation is a relationship in which organisms of the same or different species live together

and share resources.

Examples of CooperationAnimals such as wolves travel in packs. They hunt, live, and travel

together, and they share food, water, and space.

Another example is gorillas. Gorillas pick fleas and other insects off of

each other to keep themselves clean.

Wolf pack

Gorillas eating off each other

Predation

Predation is a relationship in which a predator hunts, kills, and eats its prey.

Examples of PredationOne example of predation is a lion

and an antelope. The lion hunts, kills, and eats the antelope for food.

Another example of predation is a shark hunting, killing, and eating fish.

Lion carrying its fresh prey to eat

A Great White Shark eating a fish