http://education.ky.gov/CTE/ctepa/Ag/Documents/Symbiosis_cardsL2.pdf REVIEW
Name ______________________________ Date________________________________________ © 2011 National Geographic Society
Symbiotic Interactions
Read each scenario below. First, indicate which kind of symbiotic interaction is being described.
Write P for parasitism, M for mutualism, or C for commensalism. Be prepared to explain your
reasoning for your choices.
_________ 1. Some shrimp and crab live and capture food from within the tentacles of giant
anemones.
_________ 2. A pearlfish spends the day inside the alimentary tract, or intestines, of a sea
cucumber. The fish emerges from the sea cucumber at night to feed on small
crustaceans. The pearlfish gets a safe place to live. The sea cucumber does not gain
anything from the relationship, nor is it harmed.
_________ 3. A cymothoid isopod lives inside the mouth of a snapper fish. The isopod severs
blood vessels in the fish’s tongue, causing the tongue to atrophy and degenerate.
The isopod then hooks its pereopods, or legs, to the base of the fish’s tongue,
essentially replacing the tongue. The isopod stays there for the rest of its life, feeding
on blood, mucus, and stray pieces of food from the fish.
_________ 4. A boxer crab carries a pair of small anemones in its chelipeds, or claws. When
approached by a predator, the crab waves the stinging tentacles of the anemones to
deter the predator. The anemones benefit from the small particles of food dropped
by the crab during feeding.
_________ 5. An alpheid shrimp digs and maintains a deep burrow. While underground, the shrimp
is safe. Above ground, it is vulnerable to predators. A goby fish lives in the burrow
with the shrimp. The goby fish sits at the entrance, keeping watch for predators, and
signals the shrimp with a flick of its tail when it is safe to come out. Or, if a predator
swims by, the goby darts into the burrow and the shrimp retreats further inside.
These two animals are completely dependent on each other—the goby benefits by
getting a burrow to live in and the shrimp knows when predators are near.
_________ 6. Corals feed off the byproducts of a microscopic algae living within their own tissue,
called zooxanthellae. The photosynthetic activity of the algae is vital to the survival
of the coral animals, which use the energy to extract calcium from the seawater and
build their calcareous skeletons. The zooxanthellae are protected by the hard coral
and obtain plant nutrients from the coral.
Symbiotic Interactions
Read each scenario below. First, indicate which kind of symbiotic interaction is being described.
Write P for parasitism, M for mutualism, or C for commensalism. Be prepared to explain your
reasoning for your choices.
_________ 1. Some shrimp and crab live and capture food from within the tentacles of giant
anemones.
_________ 2. A pearlfish spends the day inside the alimentary tract, or intestines, of a sea
cucumber. The fish emerges from the sea cucumber at night to feed on small
crustaceans. The pearlfish gets a safe place to live. The sea cucumber does not gain
anything from the relationship, nor is it harmed.
_________ 3. A cymothoid isopod lives inside the mouth of a snapper fish. The isopod severs
blood vessels in the fish’s tongue, causing the tongue to atrophy and degenerate.
The isopod then hooks its pereopods, or legs, to the base of the fish’s tongue,
essentially replacing the tongue. The isopod stays there for the rest of its life, feeding
on blood, mucus, and stray pieces of food from the fish.
_________ 4. A boxer crab carries a pair of small anemones in its chelipeds, or claws. When
approached by a predator, the crab waves the stinging tentacles of the anemones to
deter the predator. The anemones benefit from the small particles of food dropped
by the crab during feeding.
_________ 5. An alpheid shrimp digs and maintains a deep burrow. While underground, the shrimp
is safe. Above ground, it is vulnerable to predators. A goby fish lives in the burrow
with the shrimp. The goby fish sits at the entrance, keeping watch for predators, and
signals the shrimp with a flick of its tail when it is safe to come out. Or, if a predator
swims by, the goby darts into the burrow and the shrimp retreats further inside.
These two animals are completely dependent on each other—the goby benefits by
getting a burrow to live in and the shrimp knows when predators are near.
_________ 6. Corals feed off the byproducts of a microscopic algae living within their own tissue,
called zooxanthellae. The photosynthetic activity of the algae is vital to the survival
of the coral animals, which use the energy to extract calcium from the seawater and
build their calcareous skeletons. The zooxanthellae are protected by the hard coral
and obtain plant nutrients from the coral.
