Symbiosis: The art of living together

By National Geographic Society, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.14.19

Word Count 862
Level 970L

Image 1. Pair of Amphiprion Ocellaris, or ocellaris clownfish, in a bed of anemones near Florida Islands, Solomon Islands. By attracting prey
with their bright colors, clownfish help provide food for sea anemones. On the other hand, anemones provide protection for the clownfish
against predators. This symbiotic relationship is called mutualism. Photo by: Prisma Bildagentur/UIG via Getty Images

Millions of species roam planet Earth, and they have to figure out how to share resources such as
food and shelter. Creatures interact with one other in a variety of ways, and these relationships are
known all together as symbiosis.

There are five main symbiotic relationships:

mutualism, commensalism, predation, parasitism and
competition.

To explore these relationships, let's consider a natural

ecosystem such as the ocean. Oceanic environments
are known for their wide variety of species. Imagine you are on a diving trip to explore the warm
waters of the Pacific or Indian Oceans. You would likely spot an excellent example of mutualism:
the relationship between clownfish and sea anemones.

Mutualism

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In a mutualistic relationship, both species benefit. Sea anemones live attached to the surface of
coral reefs. They trap their prey with stinging cells, which are located on their tentacles. The cells
release poisons when a small animal touches an anemone's tentacle. This paralyzes the stung
animal, allowing the anemone to easily bring the animal into its mouth.

Other fish can be hurt by these toxic stings. However, the clownfish release a substance in the
mucus covering their bodies that stops the firing of the stinging cells. This allows the clownfish to
swim comfortably between the anemones' tentacles. It creates a protected environment in which
potential predators are killed off by anemone stings. This clearly benefits the clownfish, but how
about the sea anemones? The brightly colored clownfish attract other fish looking for a meal.
These unsuspecting would-be predators are then caught and eaten by the anemones.

Commensalism

As we continue our voyage, we discover the

commensalistic relationship between barnacles and
humpback whales. Commensalism happens when one
species lives with, on or in another species, known as
the host. The host species neither benefits from nor is
harmed by the relationship. For example, various
species of barnacles attach themselves to the skin of
whales. It does not appear to bother the whales. How
do the barnacles benefit from this unlikely
relationship? The huge whales transport the tiny
barnacles to plankton-rich waters, where both species
feast upon the abundant microorganisms that live there.

Predation

Of course, some symbiotic relationships do cause harm. In predation, one species, the predator,
hunts and kills another species, the prey. One of the better studied ocean predators is the orca, or
killer whale. Found in every ocean on Earth, orcas are known as apex predators. They hunt and eat
numerous other organisms — more than 140 species. However, orcas themselves are not hunted
by any other predator. In other words, they are at the top of the food chain.

Parasitism

Another harmful relationship is parasitism. This happens when one species, the parasite, lives
with, on or in a host species, at the expense of the host species. Unlike in predation, the host is not
immediately killed by the parasite, though it may sicken and die over time. Examples of common
parasites found in the ocean include nematodes, leeches and barnacles. That's right: Though
barnacles exist commensally with whales, they are parasites for swimming crabs. A barnacle may
root itself within a crab's reproductive system. While the crab does not die from this relationship,
its ability to have babies is greatly diminished.

Competition

The last example of symbiosis we will explore on our imaginary dive is competition, or the struggle
among organisms for the same limited resources in an ecosystem. Competition can happen

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between members of the same species, called
intraspecific competition, and between different
species, known as interspecific competition. An
example of interspecific competition in the ocean is
the relationship between coral and sponges. Sponges
are ancient sea organisms that are abundant in coral
reefs. If they become too successful, they take much of
the food and other resources that coral need to
survive. Sponges may beat out coral for resources in
the short term, but if too many coral die, the reef itself
becomes damaged. That is because coral are
responsible for building reefs out of calcium, and if
coral disappear, the reef will too. Sponges may
therefore start to die off until the reef is balanced
again.

All this shows how symbiotic relationships can help us

understand the health of an ecosystem. Large parts of
coral reefs are damaged or dead because of increases
in ocean temperature due to climate change. The
temperature increase causes coral to eject the algae
that live within them. Without their algae, the coral
turn white and die. This loss of symbiosis is an early
sign of declining coral health, and shows how humans can negatively affect an ecosystem. In the
words of National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle: "We need to respect the oceans and take care
of them as if our lives depend on it. Because they do."

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Quiz

1 Read the following conclusion.

Some symbiotic relationships harm the hosts without killing them right away.

Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the statement above?

(A) This paralyzes the stung animal, allowing the anemone to easily bring the animal into its mouth.

(B) Commensalism happens when one species lives with, on or in another species, known as the host.

(C) Examples of common parasites found in the ocean include nematodes, leeches and barnacles.

(D) While the crab does not die from this relationship, its ability to have babies is greatly diminished.

2 Why does symbiosis occur? How do you know?

(A) Creatures on Earth must find ways to interact with one another because they share or compete for the
same resources; Millions of species roam planet Earth, and they have to figure out how to share
resources such as food and shelter.

(B) The five different relationships prove that all animals must work together in order to survive; There are
five main symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, predation, parasitism and competition.

(C) Ecosystems would fall apart if animals did not fight with one another to live; The last example of
symbiosis we will explore on our imaginary dive is competition, or the struggle among organisms for the
same limited resources in an ecosystem.

(D) Symbiosis explains how competition is the main way animals interact with one another; Competition can
happen between members of the same species, called intraspecific competition, and between different
species, known as interspecific competition.

3 Read the section "Commensalism."

What does this section show that other sections do not?

(A) how one animal can benefit from a symbiotic relationship while its host is unaffected by the relationship

(B) how one animal must harm its host in order to ensure that it is able to get the food it needs

(C) why animals often engage in symbiotic relationships that are beneficial to both species

(D) why animals are starting to form symbiotic relationships with animals that are dissimilar to them

4 Read the selection from the section "Competition."

Large parts of coral reefs are damaged or dead because of increases in ocean temperature due
to climate change. The temperature increase causes coral to eject the algae that live within them.
Without their algae, the coral turn white and die. This loss of symbiosis is an early sign of
declining coral health, and shows how humans can negatively affect an ecosystem.

How does this selection contribute to the article's main idea?

(A) It shows that some relationships between animals can cause harm to only one of them.

(B) It proves that humans have been working on solutions to the problems they have caused.

(C) It explains how scientists can use symbiotic relationships to learn more about an ecosystem.

(D) It describes the main type of symbiotic relationship and why it is more important than the others.

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