Types of Symbiosis Lab Index Cards
For Teacher Use Only: Cards are currently in the proper order. Cut out each card. Divide the
class in half. Give half of the class cards marked with #1 and give the other half cards marked
with #2. Have students move around the classroom to find their symbiotic match. After
symbiotic matching pairs are found, have students separate into groups to determine if their
symbiotic pair represents a: Mutualistic Relationship, Parasitic Relationship or Commensalism.
As a class, have students discuss why they believe they found the correct symbiotic match and
relationship grouping. (Reference Teacher’s Lab Resource: page 29)
MUTUALISM
Organism #1
Bacteria: I am a certain type
of organism that sometimes
lives in the intestines of other
organisms.
Organism #2
Human: I am unable to digest
all of the food that I eat on
my own and I get help
digesting my food from
another organism.
Organism #1
Egyptian Plover: I am a bird
that flies into the mouth of
another animal and feeds on
bits of decaying meat stuck
between its teeth.
Organism #2
Crocodile: I am an animal
who has my own personal
dental hygienist. I get a
dental cleaning from another
animal.
Organism #1
Organism #2
Oxpecker (bird): I land on
Rhinoceros: I sometimes get
organisms and eat ticks and
my skin cleaned with the
parasites that live on their skin. help from another organism.
When there is danger, I fly
upward & scream a warning.
Organism #1
Bee: I gather nectar, which I
make into food. I often get
some pollen on my hairy
body. When I land, some
pollen rubs off.
Organism #2
Snapdragon: My flowers
reproduce through
pollination and get help from
another organism.
Organism #1
Spider Crab: I live in the
shallow part of the ocean
and use a certain plant for
camouflage.
Organism #2
Algae: I am an ocean plant
that sometimes attaches to
other organisms to find a
good place to live.
Organism #1
Ant: I sometimes defend
certain plants from small
organisms. These organisms
become my food.
Organism #2
Acacia Tree: I am a plant
which gets protection from
parasites with the help from
another animal.
Organism #1
Goby Fish: I am a fish that
lives in an underwater burrow
safe from predators. I alert my
roommate when a predator is
near.
Organism #2
Shrimp: I am a nearly blind
crustacean who digs my own
home in the sand. I live
together with another
organism.
Organism #1
Clown Fish: I feed on small
invertebrates that have the
potential of harming a
cnidarian whose stinging cells
protect me from harm.
Organism #2
Sea Anemone: I am an
organism who gets nutrients
from the waste of a fish who is
immune to my defense
mechanism.
COMMENSALISM
Organism #1
Egret: I am a bird who
sometimes eats insects that
have been disturbed from
their habitat.
Organism #2
Cattle: I am a large grazing
animal who eats plants
located on the ground.
Sometimes I stir up the grass
and dirt as I walk.
Organism #1
Titan Triggerfish: I am able to
move large rocks too big for
other organisms to move by
themselves.
Organism #2
Puffer Fish: sometimes I get
my food when another
organism disturbs my
underwater habitat.
Organism #1
Barnacle: I attach to other
animals and travel with them
to find new sources of food.
Organism #2
Whale: I am a large mammal
that travels great distances in
the ocean.
Organism #1
Squirrel: I often make my
home in hollow plants.
Organism #2
Oak Tree: Sometimes holes
in my trunk offer protection
and homes to animals
PARASITIC
Organism #1
Organism #2
Tick: I like to suck the blood of Deer: As I roam my habitat, I
other organisms found in the am often times the food
forest.
source for a tiny traveler.
Organism #1
Bed Bug: My name says it all.
I like to live in beds, cushions
and similar areas where my
food source likes to rest.
Organism #2
Human: While on vacation, I
like to bring home
souvenirs…well most
souvenirs.
Organism #1
Leech: I am a segmented
worm with suction cups at
each end. My freshwater
habitat provides for an
abundance of food.
Organism #2
Pond Fish: Although I am a
fast swimmer, at times a
certain type of organism likes
to attach itself to my body
and suck my blood.