Name:__Jackson Summerford___________________________________________________

Date:__4/3/2020_________________

Interactions Among Organisms

Directions: Write commensalism, mutualism, predation, or parasitism for each problem.

1. Coyote and Badger 6. Bobcat and Rabbit

Mutualism Predation
2. Largemouth Bass and Darters 7. Horsehair Worm and Cricket
Predation Commensalism
3. Lampsilis Mussel and Largemouth Bass 8. Least Weasel and Deer Mouse
Parasitism Predation
4. Gall Wasp and Oak Tree 9. Bluebird and Woodpecker
Commensalism Mutualism
5. Missouri Ironweed and Various Insects 10. Silver Lamprey and Paddlefish
mutualism Parasitism

Directions: Write commensalism, mutualism, predation, or parasitism for the underlined organisms.

11. Marbled salamanders search through loose soil for soft-bodied invertebrates to eat, including slugs.

Predation
12. Thrushes are small birds that eat the fleshy berries of bushes, including the spice bush. The seed from the
berry gets pooped out by the bird in a nice pile of ‘fertilizer’. The seed then grows into a new spice bush.

Mutualism
13. As elk walk through a grassy field, grasshoppers will fly away to prevent getting trampled. Birds, such as
cardinals, will follow behind to eat the insects as they fly away from the elk.

Commensalism
14. Adult dragonflies commonly fly over bodies of water looking for mosquitoes to catch and eat.

Predation
15. Deer ticks are so named because they are often found attached to white-tailed deer, drinking their blood.

Parasitism
16. Yellow morels are a type of edible fungus that grow in Missouri around dead elm trees absorbing the log’s
nutrients as it decomposes.
Commensalism

Directions: Read page 49 in Nature Unbound, or go to https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-

guide/brown-headed-cowbird

17. Which of the four types of interactions do cow birds have with other birds?_____Exploitation_______
18. Write a 3-4 sentences summarizing how cowbirds employ this interaction with other birds.

Cowbirds disguise their eggs by mimicking the look and color of the host bird's eggs! Although some birds can
recognize and reject cowbird eggs in their nests, many more cannot. Cow birds exploit behavior responses to
other birds.