Commensalism Examples: Animals and Plants for 8th Grade

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🌱 Commensalism is a relationship where one organism benefits, and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
• 🐠 The organism that benefits is called the commensal.
• 🌳 The other organism is called the host.
• 🐾 Examples include: Epiphytes on trees, barnacles on whales, and birds nesting in trees.
• 💡 Key point: One benefits, the other is neutral!

🧪 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following describes commensalism?
   1. An interaction where both organisms benefit.
   2. An interaction where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
   3. An interaction where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
   4. An interaction where both organisms are harmed.
2. What is the organism that benefits in a commensal relationship called?
   1. The host
   2. The parasite
   3. The commensal
   4. The predator
3. Which of the following is an example of commensalism?
   1. A tick feeding on a dog.
   2. Orchids growing on a tree branch.
   3. A lion hunting a zebra.
   4. Bees pollinating flowers.
4. How is the host organism affected in a commensal relationship?
   1. It is harmed.
   2. It benefits.
   3. It is unaffected.
   4. It is always killed.
5. Barnacles often attach themselves to whales. How does this relationship affect the whale?
   1. The whale is harmed.
   2. The whale benefits.
   3. The whale is neither harmed nor helped.
   4. The whale is always irritated.
6. What type of plant grows on another plant for support but doesn't harm it?
   1. A parasite
   2. An epiphyte
   3. A predator
   4. A decomposer
7. A bird building a nest in a tree is an example of:
   1. Mutualism
   2. Parasitism
   3. Commensalism
   4. Competition