Running head: LESSON 2 1

Subject: Biology

Grade: 10H1

Time: 11:40 – 1:00

Topic: Living Organisms in the Environment

Sub-topic: Relationships between Organisms (predator-prey and symbiosis)

Resources: PowerPoint, projector, worksheets, speakers, laptop

Methodology: Collaboration, Rally Robin Strategy, Question and Answer (Inquiry), Role

playing.

General Objective: Students should be able to understand there is interdependence between

living organisms and their environments.

Specific Objectives: By the end of this unit students should be able to –

 Define symbiosis, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism and predator-prey relationships

 Give relevant examples of parasitism, commensalism and mutualism

 Role play instances of predator-prey relationships

 Discuss the importance of predator-prey relationships

Prior Knowledge: The students should be familiar with the following vocabulary: producers,

herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, food chain, ecosystem, photosynthesis, autotroph,

heterotroph, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer and decomposer. They

should also be familiar with the concept of trophic levels and the flow of energy through

ecosystems.

Content: An organism that must obtain their nutrients by eating (consuming) other organisms is

called a consumer, or a heterotroph. All animals, all fungi, and some kinds of bacteria are

heterotrophs and consumers. Some consumers are predators; they hunt, catch, kill, and eat other
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animals, the prey. The prey animal tries to avoid being eaten by hiding, fleeing, or defending

itself using various adaptations and strategies. These could be the camouflage of an octopus or a

fawn, the fast speed of a jackrabbit or impala, or the sting of a bee or spines of a sea urchin. If

the prey is not successful, it becomes a meal and energy source for the predator. If the prey is

successful and eludes its predator, the predator must expend precious energy to continue the hunt

elsewhere. Predators can also be prey, depending on what part of the food chain you are looking

at. For example, a trout acts as a predator when it eats insects, but it is prey when it is eaten by a

bear. It all depends on the specific details of the interaction. Ecologists use other specific names

that describe what type of food a consumer eats: carnivores and herbivores are meat eaters and

plant eaters, respectively. Omnivores eat both animals and plants. Not all organisms need to eat

others for food and energy. Some organisms have the amazing ability to make (produce) their

own energy-rich food molecules from sunlight and simple chemicals. Organisms that make their

own food by using sunlight or chemical energy to convert simple inorganic molecules into

complex, energy-rich organic molecules like glucose are called producers or autotrophs. All

organisms play a part in the web of life and every living thing will die at some point. This is

where scavengers, detritivores (which eat detritus or parts of dead things), and decomposers

come in. Another category of interactions between organisms has to do with close, usually long-

term interaction between different types of organisms. These interactions are called symbiosis.

The impacts of symbiosis can be positive, negative, or neutral for the individuals involved.

Organisms often provide resources or services to each other; the interaction is mutually

beneficial. These “win-win” symbiotic interactions are known as mutualism (+ +). For example,

ants living in a tree may protect the tree from an organism that would like to make the tree its

next meal, and at the same time the tree provides a safe home for the ants. Symbiotic
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relationships are not always positive for both participants. Sometimes there are definite losers. In

parasitism (+ -), for example, the parasite benefits and the host is harmed, such as when a tick

sucks blood out of a dog. Predation (+ -) is another winner-loser relationship but it is not

symbiosis. The predator benefits and the prey is harmed lethally, but it is a short-term interaction.

In parasitism, the parasite does not usually kill its host, but just feeds on it for a long time while

it is living. Other symbiotic interactions, called commensalism (+ 0), are beneficial for one

organism, but do not affect the other in a positive or a negative way. The interaction is seemingly

neutral for one of the organisms. For example, a barnacle attached to a whale is able to travel

thousands of miles collecting and filtering food from the moving water. The whale doesn’t seem

to be affected by the little hitchhikers. But then again, maybe those little hitchhikers are actually

creating a tiny amount of additional drag as the whale moves through the water and therefore the

whale has to expend just a little bit of additional energy. If so, that would be a negative impact

for the whale. Often, further research reveals that what was originally thought to be neutral for

one participant and therefore an example of commensalism, actually has a very subtle positive or

negative impact, so the classification is no longer commensalism, but rather mutualism or

parasitism. Competition is an interesting example of interactions. When two organisms compete

or fight for the same limited resource such as food, shelter, a mate, or sunlight, there is usually a

winner and a loser (+ -), but if the competitors fight literally to the death and kill each other, the

interaction has become negative for both (- -). Competition is also an interesting example

because it is just as likely to be intraspecific as interspecific (language alert: the prefix “intra”

means “within” and the prefix “inter” means "between"). An intraspecific interaction occurs

within a species (e.g., two bull elephant seals competing for a harem of females or two English

ivy plants competing for space and sunlight), and an interspecific interaction occurs between
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members of different species (e.g., when two different species of corals compete for space and

sunlight on a coral reef by trying to outgrow each other). If the competition is long-term and

occurs between two different species, it would be another example of symbiosis.

Engage: The students will be placed into groups shown pictures of different examples of

symbiotic relationships. They will be asked to write down three things they notice about the

pictures. This exercise is to introduce the terms symbiosis, commensalism, mutualism and

parasitism. The students will then be asked to come up with their own definitions in a discussion.

The role of the teacher is to create interest and tap into what students know or think about the

topic. The role of the student is to demonstrate interest in the lesson and to ask and respond to

questions. (5 minutes)

Explore: In their groups the students will be shown two short videos on predator-prey

relationships and symbiotic relationships (https://youtu.be/8I7xhTcYJO8)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doB6fyzoO68), and answer given guided questions on the

videos and compare their definitions to the given ones. The role of the teacher is to encourage

cooperative learning and observe and listen to students as they interact. The students’ role is to

conduct their activities, become a good listener and record observations and generalizations. (10-

15 minutes).

Explain: Continuing in their groups, the students will then be given a matching game, matching

the organisms, the students will then be asked to give their answers. They will then be given a

worksheet to complete; the answers will be discussed openly to make sure students have an

understanding of symbiotic relationships. The students will now move on to predator-prey

relationships, using the Rally Robin strategy to answer the guided questions from the predator
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prey video. A Rally Robin is a cooperative learning strategy. In groups, students alternate

generating responses. 

 Teacher poses a question to which there are multiple possible responses.

 In groups, students take turns stating responses or solutions orally.

The role of the teacher is to accept all reasonable responses, listen and build upon discussion

from students and encourage students to explain their observations and finding in their own

words. The role of the student is to explain, listen, define and question, provide reasonable

responses to questions and interact in a positive and supportive manner.

Elaborate: Students now construct an explanation that will predict patterns of interactions in a

predatory/prey relationship.

Directions:

1.  Students choose 1 example of a predator-prey relationship (i.e. Lizard and Moth).

2.  Students create 2 fictitious scenarios that result in the following:

  An increase in population of prey.

  A decrease in population of prey.

This exercise is to discuss the importance of predator-prey relationships to balancing an

ecosystem, link this to the trophic levels and trophic pyramid. The role of the teacher is to

encourage students to apply or extend the new concepts and skills and encourage students to use

terms and definitions previously acquired. The role of the student is to apply new terms and

definitions, provide reasonable conclusions and solutions and use previous information to probe,

ask questions and make reasonable judgements.

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Evaluate: The students will be given graded worksheets to complete in class. The worksheets are

differentiated with varying activities. One of these activities (the worksheet where the students

must assess the table and draw a graph) will be given as a take home activity. The role of the

teacher is assess student knowledge, to facilitate student assessment and encourage students to

assess their own learning. The role of the student is to demonstrate an understanding or

knowledge of concepts and skills, provide reasonable responses and explanations to events or

phenomena and evaluate their own learning.

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Name:

Symbiotic Relationships

Define each symbiotic relationship term:

Commensalism

Mutualism

Parasitism

Read the information below. Decide what type of symbiotic relationship the two organisms
have and write the answer on the line.

Ostriches and gazelles eat next to each other. They

both watch for predators and danger. Since they see
things differently, they each can identify threats the
other animal may not see. Both species are happy.

A cuckoo bird may lay its eggs in a warbler’s nest.

The cuckoo’s young will kick out the warblers
young and will be raised by the warbler. This is
good for the cuckoo but bad for the warbler.

Yucca flowers are pollinated by yucca moths. The

moths lay their eggs in the flowers and the eggs
hatch. The larvae eat some of the seeds, and spread
them around. Both species are happy.

Barnacles attach themselves to whales so they can

get a free meal. This neither harms nor helps the
whales.
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Mistletoe takes water and nutrients from the spruce

tree. This is good for the mistletoe but bad for the
tree.

Oxpecker birds get a good meal by eating the ticks

found on a rhinoceros. The rhinoceros get a free
cleaning. Both species are happy.

Remora fish attach themselves to a shark’s body.

They then travel with the shark and eat scraps from
the shark’s meals. This neither harms nor helps the
shark.

Silverfish bugs live and hunt with army ants. They

share the prey. This neither helps nor harms the
ants.

Wrasse fish get a free meal by eating the parasites

found on the bass fish’s body. The bass gets free
doctor services. Both species are happy.

A bison walks through the grass, insects fly up and

are seen, and eaten, by cowbirds. This neither
harms nor helps the bison.

A flea feeds on a mouse’s blood. This is good for

the flea but bad for the mouse.

Ticks feed on deer blood. This helps the ticks but

hurts the deer.

Hermit crabs live in shells that snails don't use

anymore. The hermit crab gets a nice free home.
This neither harms nor helps the snails.

The stork bird uses its saw-like beak to cut up dead

animals it eats. Bees then come along and lay their
eggs in the meat so when the eggs hatch, their
larvae will have food to eat. This neither harms nor
helps the stork.

Honey guide birds show badgers where bee hives

are. The badger rips open the hive and eats the
honey first. Then the honey guide birds eat.
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Guided Questions for Videos

Predator-Prey Relationships

1. How would you describe the relationship between the eagle and the hare? Are there any

patterns in their interactions with one another? 

2. According to video why can't the eagle afford any mistakes?

3. How could an overpopulation of eagles affect the hare population?  What about an under

population?

4. How would you define predator-prey relationships?

Symbiotic Relationships

1. What is the definition of symbiosis?

2. What is mutualism? Give one example.

3. What is commensalism? Give one example.

4. What is parasitism? Give one example.

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Evaluation:

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