CARD ACTIVITY 3: Symbiosis
Summary
This activity investigates how the marine life around the Great Barrier Reef can exist in symbiotic relationships. Using the marine life
cards, students explore how certain species are linked through symbiosis and match them up in pairs.
The activity supports topics looking at ecosystems and symbiosis. Students are encouraged to explore how much each species relies
on another, and how this affects the whole ecosystem.
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How many symbiotic pairs can students find? (there are 3 examples in the cards - pearlfish and sea cucumbers; clown anemonefish and anemones; and cleaner wrasse and larger fish e.g. maori wrasse or manta rays)
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What distinguishes a symbiotic relationship from other relationships on the Great Barrier Reef, e.g. feeding?
Preparation
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Download the Great Barrier Reef marine life cards from: http://oceans.digitalexplorer.com/resources/?collection=coral-oceans
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Print out enough copies for each group
Activity
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Split the class into groups
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Hand out a set of marine life cards to each group and introduce the idea of symbiosis
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By reading through and discussing the cards, the students come up with as many pairs as they can find
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Discuss the relationships and what students found most interesting
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Challenge the students to find relationships involving two or more species
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Discuss how this symbiosis helps to sustain the coral ecosystem, and what might upset this balance
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Use the underwater panoramas at http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/site/panedia/heron-island to put the different forms of marine life into context
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