Patterns of Interactions: What Relationships Exist Between Organisms in an Ecosystem?

Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

Overview

Students will begin by brainstorming a list of ways that organisms may interact within an ecosystem. Then students will have an opportunity to share their list with a peer and with the class. Next, students will create a jot chart that will detail the five relationships that may exist between organisms in an ecosystem: competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will examine food webs and predict the patterns of interactions that may exist between and among organisms in an ecosystem.

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Science (2015) Grade(s): 7

SC15.7.8
Construct an explanation to predict patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships between and among organisms (e.g., competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism).

Vocabulary

Interactions
Evidence
Reasoning
Quantitative
Qualitative
Patterns
Ecosystems
Relationships
Competition
Predation
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism

Knowledge

Students know:

Competitive relationships occur when organisms within an ecosystem compete for shared resources.
Predatory interactions occur between organisms within an ecosystem.
Mutually beneficial interactions occur between organisms within an ecosystem; some organisms are so dependent upon one another that they can not survive alone.
Resource availability affects interactions between organisms (e.g., limited resources may cause competitive relationships among organisms; those same organisms may not be in competition where resources are in abundance).
Competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions occur across multiple, different ecosystems.

Skills

Students are able to:

Articulate a statement that relates a given phenomenon to a scientific idea, including that similar patterns of interactions occur between organisms and their environment, regardless of the ecosystem or the species involved.
Use multiple valid and reliable sources of evidence to construct an explanation for the given phenomenon.
Identify and describe quantitative or qualitative patterns of interactions among organisms that can be used to identify causal relationships within ecosystems, related to the given phenomenon.
Describe that regardless of the ecosystem or species involved, the patterns of interactions are similar.
Use reasoning to connect the evidence and support an explanation using patterns in the evidence to predict common interactions among organisms in ecosystems as they relate to the phenomenon.

Understanding

Students understand that:

Although the species involved in relationships (e.g., competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will be able to describe the relationships that can exist between and among organisms in an ecosystem, such as competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Students will be able to identify the patterns of interactions that exist between and among organisms in an ecosystem.
Students will be able to construct an explanation to predict the patterns of interactions between and among organisms in an ecosystem.

Procedures/Activities

Before Strategy/Engage: 15 minutes

1. The teacher should give the students two minutes to respond to this quick write prompt: "Create a list of ways organisms may interact with each other in their environment."

2. After the students create their lists individually, the teacher should allow students two minutes to discuss their answers with a partner or group. The students should record any new ideas on their list.

3. After students discuss their lists, the teacher should ask student volunteers for their responses and create a class list of ways organisms may interact with their environment.

4. After completing the class list, the teacher should encourage students to determine ways the examples could fit together. For example, the students may have given an example that one animal eats plants, while another animal preys on other animals. The teacher could group these two examples together by circling them on the chart.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain: 30 minutes

1. The teacher should give each student a copy of the "Patterns of Interaction" jot chart (see attachments).

2. The teacher can project the "Patterns of Interaction" PowerPoint (see attachments) and allow students to take notes on their jot chart. If student technological devices are available, the teacher can share the presentation with students via Google Classroom, Edmodo, etc. to allow students to view the presentation and take notes individually or with partners.

Note: Corresponding video clips are included for each pattern of interaction.

After Strategy-Explain & Elaborate-30 minutes

1. The teacher should give each student a copy of the "Patterns of Interactions Predictions" handout (see attachments). This handout will require students to examine food webs that show the relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem and make a prediction about the patterns of interaction each species might experience.

2. The teacher should divide students into collaborative groups of approximately four students to allow students to discuss their responses on the "Patterns of Interactions Predictions" handout. The teacher should circulate among the students and ensure each student understands the relationships between and among organisms in the ecosystem.

Before Strategy/Engage: 15 minutes

1. The teacher should give the students two minutes to respond to this quick write prompt: "Create a list of ways organisms may interact with each other in their environment."

3. After students discuss their lists, the teacher should ask student volunteers for their responses and create a class list of ways organisms may interact with their environment.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain: 30 minutes

1. The teacher should give each student a copy of the "Patterns of Interaction" jot chart (see attachments).

Note: Corresponding video clips are included for each pattern of interaction.

After Strategy-Explain & Elaborate-30 minutes

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment: The teacher should informally assess students' understanding of the concept as students are responding and discussing the quick write prompt during the before strategy.

Summative Assessment: The teacher should formally assess students' understanding of the concept as students are completing the "Patterns of Interactions Predictions" handout by utilizing effective questioning techniques. The teacher should ensure each student is able to explain the patterns of interaction between and among organisms in an ecosystem. At the conclusion of the lesson, the teacher can review each student's "Patterns of Interaction Prediction" handout to confirm that students have met the lesson's objectives.

Acceleration

Students who require acceleration can visit the following websites to apply their knowledge of the patterns of interactions learned during the lesson:

"Symbiosis" from ck12.org-Students can play a game (PLIX), complete two practice assessments, or discover the "real world" applications of symbiotic relationships.

"Competition" from ck12.org-Students can complete two practice assessments or discover the "real world" applications of competitive relationships in nature.

"Predation" from ck12.org-Students can complete two practice assessments or discover the "real world" applications of predator-prey relationships in nature.

Intervention

Students who require additional preparation prior to the lesson can visit the following website to play a variety of games related to food chains and food webs: "Food Chains-Interactive Sites for Education" from interactivesites.weebly.com.

The teacher should provide additional assistance to students requiring intervention strategies during the after portion of the lesson. The teacher could select the collaborative groups during this portion of the lesson to ensure helpful students are paired with students requiring intervention.

Total Duration

61 to 90 Minutes

Background/Preparation

Student Background Information: This lesson will serve as an introduction to the patterns of interactions that may exist between and among organisms in an ecosystem. Students will need prior experience in determining the relationships between organisms on a food web. The fifth grade Alabama Course of Study standard 11 relates to this concept. Students can visit the following website to play a variety of games related to food chains and food webs: "Food Chains-Interactive Sites for Education" from interactivesites.weebly.com. These games could serve as an introduction or review of this concept for students before beginning this lesson.

Teacher Background Information: There are several patterns of interaction that may exist between and among organisms within an ecosystem. Predation occurs in a predator-prey relationship when one organism hunts and eats another organism. Competition can exist between organisms of the same species or among organisms of different species, when the organisms compete for limited resources, such as food, water, space, or light. Symbiotic relationships exist between organisms of different species, and they can be beneficial or harmful to organisms in the relationship. Mutualism exists when both organisms experience a beneficial outcome in the relationship. Commensalism exists when one organism receives a benefit from the relationship, and the other organism is unharmed or unaffected. Parasitism exists when one organism benefits from the relationship, while the other organism is harmed. The teacher can review the websites listed in the bibliography of the PowerPoint to learn further information about the relationships that can exist between and among organisms in an ecosystem.

The teacher should make all required copies prior to teaching the lesson.

Materials and Resources

Student Materials (per student)

Pencil/pen

Notebook paper

"Patterns of Interactions" Jot Chart (see attachments)

"Patterns of Interactions Predictions" Handout (see attachments)

Note: Food web diagrams on the handout can be found on the following websites: "Food Web Diagram" from thinkscience.org and "Food Web and Symbiotic Relationships" from intertidalproject.weebly.com

Website for background information and intervention strategy: "Food Chains-Interactive Sites for Education" from interactivesites.weebly.com.

Teacher Materials

Chart paper or board

Teacher computer with ability to project sound

"Patterns of Interactions" PowerPoint Presentation (see attachments)

Note: Corresponding video clips are included in the PowerPoint. A bibliography is included on the last slide.

Technology Resources Needed

Student Technology Resources

An internet-capable device to view "Patterns of Interactions" PowerPoint (if available)

Teacher Technology Resources