Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Animal Themes
Animal and Biomes Basics Theme Unit
Symbiosis

Animal Themes
Animal Themes

Symbiosis
Print Symbiosis Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Symbiosis Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.49

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    Clownfish, coating, tenant, landlord, commensalism, parasite-cleaning, parasitism, unharmed, win-win, partnership, interaction, disks, relationship, benefits, definition, mutualism

Symbiosis   
1     In the wonderful world of nature, some animals live or work together with other living things. Some animals love to be partners with other animal species, with plants, and with microorganisms. We have a special name for such partnerships. We call them "symbiosis." That literally means "living together".
 
2     Do both species in a symbiotic relationship benefit? Well, that question is open for debate. Some scientists restrict the meaning of symbiosis to a "win-win" situation for both partners. Others disagree. Using a broader definition, we are going to explore the three types of symbiotic partnerships.
 
3     When two species have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, we call it "mutualism." This type of symbiosis benefits both partners. To understand mutualism better, let's examine the interaction between clown fish and anemones. Most fish stay away from an anemone for fear of touching its poisonous tentacles. But clown fish have a special coating on their skin that protects them from getting stung. (This trick does not work for all anemones though. Clown fish can only have symbiotic relationships with 10 of the 1,000 different anemone species in the world.) Clownfish can swim carefree and unharmed among their host's deadly tentacles. They know very well that their predators do not dare to come near them. Plus, clown fish get to eat the leftover bits of food discarded by their landlord. What does the anemone get in return for offering clown fish a safe haven? Well, it kills and feeds on fish that are eyeing its tenant! Aside from that, clown fish pay their rent by cleaning up food scraps and dead anemone tentacles.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
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Animal Themes
             Animal Themes

Animal and Biomes Basics Theme Unit
             Animal and Biomes Basics Theme Unit



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