Biological Relationship Scenarios

Biological Relationship Scenarios

TEK B.12A

Multiple Choice

A larger organism that harbors a smaller organism

• Host

• Predator

• Prey

Multiple Choice

Interaction between organisms of two different species in which both organisms benefit

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Multiple Choice

Organism that gets killed for food

• Host

• Predator

• Prey

Multiple Choice

Interaction between organisms or species in which both organisms or species are harmed

• Competition

• Predation

• Symbiosis

Multiple Choice

Relationship between two different species in which one species benefits at the expense of the other

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Multiple Choice

One organism kills and consumes another organism

• Competition

• Predation

• Symbiosis

Multiple Choice

Relationship between two different species in which one species benefits while the other is unaffected

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Multiple Choice

An organism that hunts, kills, and eats other organisms for food

• Host

• Predator

• Prey

Multiple Choice

An interaction between two different species

• Competition

• Predation

• Symbiosis

Poll

Which word from the questions above seemed most unfamiliar to you?

• Competition

• Predation

• Symbiosis

Poll

Which word from the questions above seemed most unfamiliar to you?

• Host

• Predator

• Prey

Poll

Which word from the questions above seemed most unfamiliar to you?

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Scenario 1

Aphids are small insects that feed on the sap of phloem vessels in plants and are often referred to as tree lice. They are most commonly found in temperate climates where they are among the most destructive insects to cultivated plants.

In order to control the population of aphids without the use of pesticides, farmers and gardeners will introduce ladybugs to the area. A ladybug can consume up to 1,000 aphids in 1 day. The ladybugs get a food source and the plant is rid of the aphids.

Poll

What type of relationship is shared between the aphids and the plant?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the ladybug and the aphids?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Predation

• Competition

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the ladybug and the plant?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 2

The sloth is a tree-dwelling animal that lives in the jungles of Central and South America. It lives on a diet that mainly consists of leaves and insects. Sloths have a greenish shaggy coat that contains grooves where two types of blue-green algae make a nice, comfortable home. This provides the sloth with the greenish coat that camouflages it from its predators, and the photosynthetic algae are able to get closer to the Sun when attached to the sloth.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the sloth and the algae?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the sloth and the tree?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 3

In sub-Saharan Africa, oxpeckers (a kind of bird) land on the backs of large animals, such as cattle, rhinos, and zebras, where it feeds on ticks, the botfly, dead skin, blood, sweat, mucus, insects, infected wounds, earwax, and other parasites. Oxpeckers provide the animals with grooming and remove unwanted pests. In the presence of danger, the oxpecker also flies upward and screams a warning that alerts the animals.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the oxpecker and large animals?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 3, continued

Recent research may shed new light on the relationship between the oxpecker and large animals. It was previously thought that the animals' wounds healed faster when the oxpecker cleaned the wound, but this may not be the case. It has been observed that oxpeckers prolong the healing of wounds and also create new wounds when removing earwax. Since the primary food source is ticks and ticks are full of blood, the primary target of the oxpecker may be blood.

Poll

After reading the new information about Scenario 3, what type of relationship might really exist between the oxpecker and large animals?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 4

Amphibians such as frogs and toads often feed on adult beetles. It was once believed that they also fed on the beetle larvae, but when more closely studied, a different behavior was observed. The beetle larvae use a unique movement of their antennae and formidable-looking mandibles to draw the attention of amphibians. The amphibian attacks and the larvae almost always avoid the protracted tongue. The beetle larvae takes this opportunity to latch itself to the nearest part of the animal using its mandible. It then repositions itself onto the amphibian and the feast begins.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the amphibian an the beetle larvae?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 5

The oyster crab is a small, nearly translucent (see-through) crab that makes its home inside of oyster shells off the Atlantic Coast of North America. The tiny larva enters the oyster shell seeking shelter and protection. Once the oyster crab is grown, it is trapped inside the shell, too large to fit through the tiny opening on the oyster shell. The crab remains inside the shell for the duration of its lifespan and feeds off of the food particles inside the oyster shell, causing no harm to the oyster inside.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the oyster crab and the oyster?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 6

In the United States and parts of Canada, a cabbage white caterpillar is feasting on the leaf of a cabbage. Once the caterpillar begins devouring the leaf, a chemical alarm is set off by the cabbage leaf. Nearby, a wasp (C. glomerata) senses the alarm and rushes to the cabbage leaf. The wasp implants its eggs into the caterpillar, where the offspring will hatch and eat the caterpillar from the inside out as it grows. These wasps are not the only ones that have sensed the chemical alarm of the cabbage leaf. The L. nana wasp has also picked up the signal, but has a different intention. The L. nana wasp rushes to the cabbage leaf and implants its eggs into the wasp grubs laid by the previous wasp, C. glomerata.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the C. glomerata wasp and the L. nana wasp?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the C. glomerata wasp and the caterpillar?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the cabbage leaf and the caterpillar?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What role does the caterpillar play in the relationship with the C. glomerata?

• Predator

• Prey

Scenario 7

The now extinct dodo bird once inhabited the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It resided on the island for so long that it lost the ability to fly. With no real predators, it nested on the ground eating fruits that fell from the trees. In 1505, the island was discovered and became a major trade area for spices. The dodo bird, weighing around 50 lbs, offered a nice source of fresh meat for the traders. Later, the Dutch used the island as a colony and introduced pigs and monkeys. Rats were also introduced when they escaped the ships visiting the island. The rats, pigs, and monkeys would eat the eggs of the dodo birds. The combination of human activities and invasive species led to the extinction of dodo birds in 1681.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the monkeys and the dodo birds?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 7, continued

Recently, scientists have studied a rare tree that inhabits Mauritius and upon closer observation they discovered all of the 13 remaining trees were at least 300 years old. There have been no new trees since the 1600s. Scientists discovered that the dodo birds ate the fruits from the trees and only by passing the seeds through their digestive system could the seeds be activated for growth. In order to save the rare tree, turkeys have been introduced to the area since their digestive system, in regards to processing seeds, mimics that of the dodo birds. This may possibly save the tree from extinction. It has been named the "dodo tree."

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the dodo bird and the Mauritius tree?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Scenario 8

In 1983, a European catfish was introduced to the River Tarn at Albi, in southwestern France. The catfish grow up to 1-1.5 meters and are the largest freshwater fish on the continent. In the River Tarn, there is a small island where pigeons bathe themselves. It was recently observed that a large catfish lunged out of the water, temporarily standing itself on land for a few seconds, grabbing a pigeon, and then wriggling back into the water to consume its victim.

Poll

What type of relationship exists between the catfish and the pigeon?

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Predation

Poll

What role does the pigeon play in the relationship?

• Predator

• Prey

Poll

What role does the catfish play in the relationship?

• Predator

• Prey