Interactions Among Living Things

Interactions Among Living Things

by Steve John Mart M. Jose

​Teacher III

​Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC):

​Describe the beneficial and harmful interactions among living things.

​

​

​Particularly:

​Lesson 1: Interaction Among Living Things

Lesson 2: Beneficial Interactions Among Living Things in Their Environment Lesson 3: Harmful Interaction Among Living things

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​LET'S CHECK WHAT YOU KNOW!

Multiple Choice

Which characteristic can a puppy inherit from its parents?

• muddy paws

• broken foot

• spotted fur

• scar on face

Multiple Choice

Frogs lay eggs that develop into tadpoles and then into adult frogs. This sequence of changes is an example of how living things________.

• go through a life cycle

• undergo reproduction

• act as a source of food

• affect other parts of the ecosystem

Multiple Choice

Farmers are advised not to plant rice very close to one another. Why?

• The plants will be parasites to each another.

• The plants will help one another.

• The plants will compete with one another.

• All the plants will be very healthy.

Multiple Choice

The following are examples of abiotic component in an environment EXCEPT

• air

• plants

• soil

• sunlight

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sentence below gives a correct idea?

• Plant depends on animals for food.

• Animals depend on plants for food.

• Animals can live without plants.

• Plants and animals depend on each other to survive.

An ecosystem is the largest and the most complex level of organization which consists of all plants, animals and microorganisms which function with all the environmental factors such as sunlight, climate, soil, water, air, space, nutrients, temperature and energy. The six elements that keep the ecosystem going are: sun, producers, abiotic substances, primary consumers, secondary consumers and decomposers.

​LESSON 1: Interaction Among Living Things

​LESSON 1: Interaction Among Living Things

​LESSON 1: Interaction Among Living Things

​Biotic factors relate to all the living things in the ecosystem. Their presence and their biological by-products affect the composition of an ecosystem. Biotic factors refer to all living organisms from animals and humans, to plants, fungi, and bacteria. The interactions between various biotic factors are necessary for the reproduction of each species and to fulfil essential requirements like food, etc.

​LESSON 1: Interaction Among Living Things

Abiotic factors refer to all the non-living, i.e. chemical and physical factors present in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Sunlight, air, precipitation, minerals, and soil are some examples of abiotic factors. These factors have a significant impact on the survival and reproduction of species in an ecosystem.

ACTIVITY

Identify whether the following are classified as biotic (living thing) or abiotic (non-living thing) factors.

Multiple Choice

trees

• biotic

• abiotic

Multiple Choice

flowers

• biotic

• abiotic

Multiple Choice

soil

• biotic

• abiotic

Multiple Choice

sand

• biotic

• abiotic

Multiple Choice

rock

• biotic

• abiotic

​There are interactions where both species benefit from the relationship and there are also interactions where one species benefits but the other is neither affected nor harmed. These interactions are beneficial/important for survival.

These interactions are categorized as:

​

• Mutualism - the type of interaction where both species benefit from the relationship.

These interactions are categorized as:

​

Commensalism - the type of interaction where one organism benefits while the other is not harmed nor affected.

These interactions are categorized as:

​

• Predation - the type of interaction where one benefits while the other one is harmed of badly affected. The one that usually benefits is called the predator and the one that is harmed is called the prey. This type of interaction is also called predator-prey relationship.

These interactions are categorized as:

​

Parasitism is a type of interaction where the organism that usually benefit from this is called the parasites and the one that is affected is called the host.

These interactions are categorized as:

​

Competition is the striving or vying between organisms for the things needed for survival.

​Lesson 2: Beneficial Interactions Among Living Things in their Environment

​Lesson 2: Beneficial Interactions Among Living Things in their Environment

​You have seen plants belonging to the same species growing together. Banana trees grow very close to each other. You also see plants belonging to different species in the same area. Animals belonging to the same species live together. Because of this close association among species, some interesting relationships may exist. Organism within ecosystem interact with each other in both positive and negative ways.

​Lesson 2: Beneficial Interactions Among Living Things in their Environment

Choose the possible effects of interactions for the following pair of organisms. You may click 2 or more answers.

Multiple Choice

Lions and tigers fight each other.

• Weaker species will die.

• Both species will become stronger.

• Tigers will become a slave.

• Both species are benefitted.

Multiple Select

A cattle egret likes to follow the cow along because of the insects that comes out while the cow eats grass.

• Cows help the egret find food.

• The cows are harmed by the egrets.

• The cows kills the egrets by stepping on them.

• The cows are not benefitted or harmed by the egrets.

Multiple Select

Remoras attach themselves in the body of the whale shark.

• Remoras get a free ride and food.

• Whale is badly harmed.

• Remoras are protected from predators.

• Remoras serve as food for whales.

Multiple Select

The birds are eating insects in the field.

• The birds keep the number of insects from increasing.

• There will be an increase in crop production.

• There will be a balance between the birds-insects population.

• The insects are protected from the birds.

Multiple Select

Mosquitoes bite and suck the blood of human.

• Human can become very sick.

• Mosquitoes do not harm a human being.

• Mosquitoes get food by sucking blood of human.

• Human and mosquitoes benefit each other.

​Lesson 3: Harmful Interactions Among Living Things

Arrange the jumbled letters to form the correct answer.​

Multiple Choice

If the population of prey increase, number of predators decrease.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

In the relationship of the frog and the fly, the fly is the predator.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Predators are usually large animals and preys are usually smaller animals.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Plants compete for sunlight. The relationship is called parasitism.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

When sheep and goats eat on the same grassland, their relationship is called competition.

• TRUE

• FALSE