Exploring Relationships in Nature: How Organisms Interact in Their Habitats Basic Science JSS 2 First Term Lesson Notes Week 3
Subject: Basic Science
Class: JSS 2
Term: First Term
Week: 3
Age: 12-13 years
Topic: Relationship between Organisms in Their Habitats
Sub-topic: Types of Relationships
Duration: 60 minutes
Behavioral Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- Define the different types of relationships between organisms in their habitats.
- Identify examples of mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and competition.
- Explain how these relationships impact the survival and interaction of organisms.
Keywords:
- Mutualism
- Commensalism
- Parasitism
- Competition
- Symbiosis
Set Induction:
Begin the lesson by showing images or videos of different organisms interacting, such as bees and flowers, or parasites like ticks on animals. Ask students to describe what they see and what they think is happening in these interactions.
Entry Behavior:
Students have a basic understanding of organisms and their environments from previous lessons.
Learning Resources and Materials:
- Pictures or videos showing different types of interactions between organisms
- Charts or diagrams illustrating types of relationships
- Whiteboard and markers
Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge:
Discuss how organisms interact with each other in their environments and the importance of these interactions for survival and ecosystem balance.
Embedded Core Skills:
- Critical thinking
- Observation skills
- Understanding of ecological concepts
Learning Materials:
- Basic Science textbooks
- Science magazines with images of different ecological interactions
Reference Books:
- Lagos State Scheme of Work
- Comprehensive Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools
- Understanding Basic Science for JSS
Instructional Materials:
- Visual aids showing interactions between organisms
- Flashcards with examples of different types of relationships
Content:
Relationship between Organisms in Their Habitats:
- Definition of Relationships:
- Mutualism: A relationship where both organisms benefit. Example: Bees and flowers – bees get nectar from flowers, and flowers get pollinated.
- Commensalism: A relationship where one organism benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed. Example: Barnacles on a whale – barnacles get to move through nutrient-rich waters, while the whale is not significantly affected.
- Parasitism: A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other. Example: Ticks on a dog – ticks feed on the dog’s blood, harming it in the process.
- Competition: A relationship where organisms compete for the same resources, which can be detrimental to both. Example: Lions and hyenas competing for prey.
- Examples of Relationships in Various Habitats:
- Forest: Ants and acacia trees – ants protect the trees from herbivores, while the trees provide food and shelter for the ants (mutualism).
- Ocean: Remoras and sharks – remoras attach to sharks and feed on leftover food, while sharks are not significantly affected (commensalism).
- Grassland: Cattle egrets and grazing animals – egrets eat parasites off the bodies of larger mammals (mutualism).
- Desert: Cactus and desert animals – cactus provide water and shelter, while desert animals help pollinate them (mutualism).
Evaluation Questions:
- What is mutualism?
a) A relationship where both organisms benefit
b) A relationship where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
c) A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another
d) A relationship where organisms compete for resources - Which of the following is an example of commensalism?
a) Bees and flowers
b) Ticks on a dog
c) Barnacles on a whale
d) Lions and hyenas competing for prey - How does parasitism differ from mutualism?
a) In parasitism, both organisms benefit, while in mutualism, one benefits at the expense of the other
b) In mutualism, both organisms benefit, while in parasitism, one benefits at the expense of the other
c) Both relationships are the same
d) In mutualism, organisms compete for resources, while in parasitism, they do not - What is an example of competition in an ecosystem?
a) Bees pollinating flowers
b) Barnacles on a whale
c) Lions and hyenas hunting for the same prey
d) Remoras and sharks - In the relationship between ants and acacia trees, what do the ants provide to the trees?
a) Water
b) Shelter
c) Protection from herbivores
d) Food - Which relationship involves one organism benefiting while the other is not significantly affected?
a) Mutualism
b) Commensalism
c) Parasitism
d) Competition - How do ticks affect their host?
a) They provide protection
b) They feed on the host’s blood
c) They help pollinate flowers
d) They provide shelter - What do egrets eat off the bodies of larger mammals?
a) Plants
b) Parasites
c) Food leftovers
d) Dirt - Why is competition considered detrimental to both organisms involved?
a) Because both benefit equally
b) Because both are not affected
c) Because both organisms struggle for limited resources
d) Because both provide mutual benefits - Which type of relationship helps maintain ecosystem balance by providing different benefits?
a) Mutualism
b) Commensalism
c) Parasitism
d) Competition - How do cactus and desert animals benefit each other?
a) Cactus provides water and shelter, while animals help pollinate them
b) Animals provide water to the cactus
c) Cactus and animals compete for resources
d) Cactus feed on the animals - What is an example of a parasitic relationship?
a) Remoras and sharks
b) Ants and acacia trees
c) Ticks and dogs
d) Lions and hyenas - How do remoras benefit from their relationship with sharks?
a) They get food from the shark’s leftovers
b) They protect the shark from predators
c) They pollinate the shark
d) They provide shelter for the shark - What type of relationship is observed when lions and hyenas hunt the same prey?
a) Mutualism
b) Commensalism
c) Parasitism
d) Competition - In what way does the presence of barnacles on a whale benefit the barnacles?
a) They get food from the whale’s body
b) They get to move through nutrient-rich waters
c) They provide shelter for the whale
d) They help the whale find food
Class Activity Discussion:
- Q: What are the four main types of relationships between organisms in their habitats?
A: The four main types are mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and competition. - Q: Can you give an example of mutualism?
A: An example of mutualism is the relationship between bees and flowers, where bees get nectar and flowers get pollinated. - Q: What is commensalism, and can you provide an example?
A: Commensalism is a relationship where one organism benefits while the other is unaffected. An example is barnacles on a whale. - Q: How do parasites affect their hosts?
A: Parasites benefit at the expense of their hosts, often causing harm. An example is ticks feeding on a dog’s blood. - Q: Why is competition considered a negative interaction between organisms?
A: Competition is negative because organisms vie for the same resources, which can limit availability for both and harm their survival. - Q: Describe how ants and acacia trees interact.
A: Ants protect acacia trees from herbivores, while acacia trees provide food and shelter for the ants. This is a mutualistic relationship. - Q: How do egrets and larger mammals benefit from each other?
A: Egrets eat parasites from the larger mammals, benefiting from food while the mammals get rid of parasites. - Q: In what way do ticks harm their hosts?
A: Ticks harm their hosts by feeding on their blood, which can lead to health problems for the host. - Q: What role does competition play in an ecosystem?
A: Competition helps control population sizes and resource distribution, although it can be harmful to the competing organisms. - Q: How do cactus and desert animals support each other?
A: Cactus provides water and shelter to desert animals, while the animals help pollinate the cactus. - Q: What kind of relationship is seen between lions and hyenas?
A: Lions and hyenas display competition as they both hunt for the same prey. - Q: Why do some organisms rely on each other for survival?
A: Some organisms rely on each other through mutualistic relationships to gain resources, protection, or other benefits essential for their survival. - Q: What is the impact of parasitism on the host organism?
A: Parasitism generally harms the host organism, as the parasite benefits at the host’s expense. - Q: How does commensalism differ from mutualism?
A: In commensalism, one organism benefits without affecting the other, while in mutualism, both organisms benefit from the relationship. - Q: Can you provide an example of competition affecting an ecosystem?
A: Competition between different plant species for sunlight and nutrients can limit growth and affect ecosystem diversity.
Evaluation Questions:
- What is mutualism and provide an example?
- Describe commensalism and give an example.
- Explain parasitism and provide an example.
- What does competition involve among organisms?
- How do ants and acacia trees benefit from their relationship?
- How do egrets and larger mammals interact?
- Describe a situation where parasitism is harmful to the host.
- How does competition influence the survival of organisms?
- Give an example of mutualism in a marine environment.
- What type of relationship is observed between remoras and sharks?
Adaptation of Organisms to their habitats
Relationship between organisms in their habitat
Nothing really exists in isolation in this world. Likewise no single living thing lives in isolation. Living organisms relate and interact with each other for continued existence and interaction. This interaction is important for the balanced existence of the ecosystem. All organisms in the ecosystem are connected in one way or the other .
Types of relationship of organisms in their habitat
- Commensalism : This relationship involves two organisms in which one benefits and the other organism does not benefit nor enjoy anything. This is an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. This types of Commensalism can be observed in the following living things
- Cow and egret relationship
- Tree and frog relationship
- Jackal and tiger relationship
- Goby fish live on other sea animals,
- When Orchids start growing on tree Branches
- Sharks and Remora Fish
- Monarch butterflies and milkweed
- Competition : Competition feeding relationship in living organisms in their habitat involves the ability of each living thing to compete, fight or battle for the limited available for supply for existence. It is a relationship in which organisms compete for limited resources. In the process of competition one of the organism may be injured or lose its life. Examples of living organisms that display competition relationship are
- Both wolves and bear hunting the same prey
- Lions and hyenas
- Jackals and small animals
- Microbes compete for chemical substrates.
- Animals fight over territory, water, food, shelter and prospective mates
- Mutualism : This relationship between different living organisms makes both living things to enjoy without harm or injure to any party. Mutualistic arrangements are most likely to develop between organisms because they have widely different requirement for living. Examples of living organisms that exhibit mutualism relationship are
- Coral and algae.
- Oxpeckers and large mammals.
- Oxpeckers and zebras
- Digestive bacteria and humans
- Ants and fungus
- Humans and plants
- Clownfish and anemones
- Predatory : In this type of relationship, one organism preys or feeds on the other. A predator is an organism that eats another organism. The organism that is eaten is the prey. Examples of organisms in this relationship are
- Lions kill and est antelopes or zebras
- Spider and insects
- Crocodiles and Buffalo
- Octopus killing and eating small fishes or other small sea creatures
- Ladybugs feeding on aphids on apple trees
- bears kill and eat fish,
- Parasitism : Meaning of parasitism relationship is the relationship in which one organism lives on and benefits from other organism without having anything to give back to that relationship. The organism that cause the damage is called the parasite while the other organism that suffers the pain or damage is the host. Examples are
- Tapeworm and human beings
- Ticks and dogs
- Lice and human hair
- Ascariasis (roundworms) and human being
- Bedbugs
- Hookworms
EVALUATION
- Organisms that feed on other organisms are called ________
- A tapeworm and a pig have this type of relationship.________
- The bee and the sun flower have ________ relationship
- Aphids are tiny insects that live on and eat the leaves of plants, removing vital nutrients from the plants. This type of relation is ________
- When no harm is done to both organism that are involved in a relationship, this type of relationship can be termed ________
- When Ticks are feeding on a dog, then such relationship is considered ________
- Bees transporting pollen from one flower to another flower. The relationship between the bees and the flowers is best described as ________
- At times, some marriage relationship in human beings may be said to be ________
- You have Just observed in your classroom that an insect is caught up in a spider web at the top corner of your classroom. The relationship between the insect, that is caught and is about to be eaten up and the spider is ________
- Organisms that are eaten up by other animals are called ________
Conclusion:
Summarize the key types of relationships between organisms, emphasizing their impact on survival and interaction. Provide feedback on students’ contributions and assign homework where students identify and describe relationships in their local environment.