Symbiosis Practice

Master symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism. Biology practice worksheet for students.

Match the word with the definition Parasitism One species benefits and the other is harmed Mutualism Both species benefit Commensalism One species benefits and the other is unaffected Trophic cascade Is caused by a removal or addition of a keystone species. Keystone species A species that is necessary for the balance of that ecosystem. What type of symbiotic relationship is it? Mutualistic Oxpeckers feed on the ticks found on a rhinoceros. The oxpeckers get a meal and the rhinoceros is helped by the removal of the ticks. Ostriches and gazelles feed next to each other. They both watch for predators and alert each other to danger. Because the visual abilities of the two species are different, they can identify threats that the other animal would not see as well. Honey guide birds alert and direct badgers to bee hives. The badgers then expose the hives and feed on the honey first. Next the honey bird eats. Coral provide shelter and essential nutrients to microscopic algae. The algar provide sugar and oxygen to the coral. Parasitic A wasp lays its eggs on a caterpillar. When the wasp eggs hatch, the larvae will eat the caterpillar and kill it. A cuckoo may lay its eggs in a warbler’s next. The cuckoo’s young will knock the warbler’s eggs out of the nest and the warbler will raise the cuckoo’s young. Mistletoe extracts water and nutrients from a spruce tree. The spruce tree is harmed A flea feeds on a mouse’s blood and harms the mouse. Heartworms develop inside a dog’s heart. The worms cause health problems and may result in death. Commensalistic Barnacles create home sites by attaching themselves to whales. This relationship neither harms nor benefits the whales. When a snail grows out of its shell it will find a new one and leave the old one behind. Hermit crabs live in shells made and then abandoned by snails. As bison walk through the grass, insects become active and are seen and eaten by cowbirds. The relationship neither harms nor benefits the bison. A sparrow will build its nest under the nest of an osprey. The smaller birds get protection because other predators will not mess with the osprey. The stork uses its saw-like bill to cut up the dead animals it eats. As a result, the dead animal carcass is accessible to some bees for food and egg-laying.