Name: Mark Joshua B.

Diego Course: BSED 3A - Science

Course Code: SCI12 Week Number: Week 7
Course Title: Environmental Science Instructor: Dr. Wendy M. Solomo

Module 4: Activity 2
Part I. Directions. Answer the following questions in three to five sentences.
1. How do ecological relationships shape the marine ecosystem? Use at least two
examples to explain your answer.

 The most important community in marine environment, the coral reef community,
is basically shaped by the ecological relationship of algae, coral, and parrotfish.
Relationship of algae and coral is mutualistic for they both benefit each other by
oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. But algae are capable of overgrowing which
turns mutualism into competition and will eventually kill coral polyps, thus,
herbivory is needed to maintain the balance of their relationship. So, there comes
herbivore parrotfish that eats excess algae and clean up coral polyps from algal
overgrowth. With such examples we can see that ecological relationship creates
the flow of nutrient cycle and provides solution to imbalances which further stabilize
the biome that an ecosystem composes.

2. Why is it important to identify and understand ecological relationships? Use at least two
examples to explain your answer.

 It is very important to identify and understand ecological relationship. For example,

the thorough study of relationship between corals and parrotfish had led to the
finding that parrotfish is merely a helping friend not a foe of corals. With such
understanding researcher are able to recommend ways on how to bring back
ecological balance in coral community, which is to stop hunting parrotfishes.
Another example is the relationship between bacteria and human. Through
identifying and understanding the human-bacteria relationship, we can gather
more information about which of bacterial species are beneficial and harmful, how
to treat its infection properly, and how to manipulate it and make it useful in the
fields of medicine and biotechnology.
Part II. Directions: Read the background information carefully before answering the given
questions
The introductory information describes one relationship between organisms in the illustration:
parasitism.
All the organisms pictured in this habitat interact in other ways as well.
1. Describe one example of competition between the organisms in the illustration. Name the
organisms involved, describe their interaction, and explain why their interaction is
considered competition.

 The example of competition in the illustration is the relationship of moose and deer.
It is an interspecific competition because two different species, moose and deer,
compete for eating the snail.

2. Describe one example of commensalism between the organisms in the illustration. Name
the organisms involved, describe their interaction, and explain why their interaction is
considered commensalism.

 The example of commensalism in the illustration is the relationship between

whitetail deer and brainworm. The interaction of the two is inquilinism, where
brainworm is the inquiline within the whitetail deer. The brainworm uses the
whitetail deer as their dwelling place without harming it. Brainworm is benefited but
whitetail deer remains unaffected. With that, their relationship is commensalism.