Symbiosis

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/symbiosis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Symbiosis (from Greek 'sym' meaning together, and 'bios' meaning life)
2. What is the endosymbiotic theory?Proposes that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from symbiotic prokaryotes within eukaryotic cells
3. Why do plants and bacteria work together in root nodules?The bacteria give the plant nitrogen, which helps it grow, and the plant gives the bacteria food. This is a friendly partnership called mutualism.
4. How can a parasite be a type of symbiosis?A parasite lives on or inside another animal and takes food from it, which hurts the host. This is a negative-sum relationship called parasitism.

Symbiosis: A close, long-term biological interaction between two different species, influencing their evolutionary trajectories.
Mutualism: A symbiotic interaction where both participating species derive a net benefit.
Commensalism: A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
Parasitism: A symbiotic relationship where one organism (parasite) benefits at the expense of the other (host).