Interpret Relationships Including Predation Parasitism Commensalism Mutualism and Competition Among Organisms

A lichen is composed of two organisms, a fungus and a cyanobacterium. The fungus provides a growing surface, moisture, and nutrients to the cyanobacterium. The cyanobacterium provides food to the fungus. This relationship is considered to be an example of which of the following?

• commensalism

• mutualism

• neutralism

• parasitism

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

The acacia ant (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea) lives in the bullshorn acacia plant, as shown below. The acacia ant nests and feeds in the plants hollow thorns. The ant helps protect the bullshorn acacia by attacking insects and grazing animals that come near the plant. The relationship between the acacia ant and the bullshorn acacia is an example of which of the following?

• commensalism

• mutalism

• neutralism

• parasitism

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

A native species and a non native species are competing for resources within the same ecosystem. The non native species is more likely to survive than the native species in which of the following situations?

• both the native species and the non native species thrive on the same food source

• the native species is immune to certain pathogens in the ecosystem

• predators prey on both native and non native species

• the non native species has no natural enemies in the ecosystem

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In any environment or ecosystem, organisms can have several different types of relationships. Three types of relationships are described above. Which of these correctly describes the relationships between the organisms?

• x - mutualism, y - parasitism, z - commensalism

• x - commensalism, y - mutualism, z - parasitisn

• x - parasitism, y - commensalism, z - mutualism

• x - commensalism, y - parasitism, z - mutualism

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) are tall canopy trees that make up a large portion of the Amazon rain forest. They produce large grapefruit sized seed pods. The agouti, a ground dwelling rodent, has teeth strong enough to open the touch seed pods. While the agouti eats some of the trees seeds, it also buries caches in various spots on the rain forest floor. Why is the agouti important to the rain forest ecosystem?

• it eats and disperses the trees seeds

• it eats the trees excess seeds and prevents other animals from doing so

• it cleans the rainforest floor of debris, allowing for easier motility

• it prevents the trees seeds from rotting on the rain forest floor

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Parrotfish are herbivores that are found in coral refs. To escape predation, a parrotfish will graze with a rabbitfish, which has venomous spines at the end of its pelvic fins. The rabbitfish does not benefit from this relationship. Which type of relationship do the parrotfish and the rabbitfish have in the coral reef environment?

• commensal

• mutualistic

• predator-prey

• parasitic

Bats eat insects that damage crops and mosquitoes that are vectors for disease. One million bats can eat several tons of insects per night, saving billions of dollars in pesticides yearly. Agricultural and public health scientists are concerned about the spread of white nose syndrome (WNS). WNS is a result of a fungus that can infect cave dwelling bats. While bats hibernate during winter months, the fungus covers the bats face and wings. WNS has a near 100% mortaility rate, and 5.7 million bats have died since the discovery of the fungus in 2006. Many scientists are searching for ways to protect these bats. The relationship between this fungus and bats can be be defined as -

• commensal, because the bats provide a surface for the fungus to grow

• parasitic, because the fungus obtains nutrients and shelter from the bats

• competitive, because both organisms use caves as shelter during the winter

• mutualistic, because the relationship involves two distinct species living together

Some relationships between different organisms are shown in the table. Which table correctly identifies each type of interaction described?

• A

• B

• C

• D

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

A student performed an investigation in which two ivy plants were planted in two separate containers. One of the containers had earthworms mixed in with the soil, and the other container had soil and no earthworms. The plants were given the same amount of water and exposed to the same amount of sunlight. The student observed that after several weeks of growth, the plant exposed to the earthworms appeared to be healthier and exhibited more growth. To conclude that the relationship between the plant and the earthworm is an example of mutualism, the student must perform follow up investigations that do which of the following?

• determine whether the earthworms damage the soil in any way

• determine whether the earthworms benefit from being with the plant

• determine whether the water given to the plant is unpolluted

• determine whether the other plant in the investigation suffers as a result of not being exposed to earthworms

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A remora is a fish that has an adhesive disk on the back of its head that it uses to attach itself to a large shark. When food floats away from the shark's mouth as it feeds, the remora collects the scraps. Drawings of a shark with a remora attached and a remora's adhesive disk are shown below. The relationship between the remora and the shark is an example of -

• predation

• parasitism

• commensalism

• competition

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2