Species Interactions

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A type of species interaction where both species benefit from the relationship. Example: Oxpeckers feeding on ticks found on rhinoceroses.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

A type of species interaction where one species benefits at the expense of another. Example: Ticks feeding on deer blood.

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

A type of species interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. Example: Cow-birds eating insects disturbed by buffalos.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

What is competition in ecology?

Back

An interaction where two or more species compete for the same resources, such as food or habitat. Example: Sharks, dolphins, and seabirds all eating the same type of fish.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

Define species interactions.

Back

The various ways in which species interact with each other, including mutualism, parasitism, commensalism, and competition.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

What is an example of mutualism in nature?

Back

The relationship between oxpeckers and rhinoceroses, where oxpeckers eat ticks off the rhinos, benefiting both.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Front

What is an example of parasitism?

Back

A cuckoo laying its eggs in a warbler's nest, where the cuckoo's young displace the warbler's young.

Front

What is an example of commensalism?

Back

Cow-birds benefiting from insects disturbed by buffalos, while buffalos are unaffected.

Front

How does competition affect species?

Back

It can limit the resources available to each species, potentially leading to decreased populations or extinction.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Front

What is the difference between mutualism and commensalism?

Back

In mutualism, both species benefit; in commensalism, one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.