Mutualism Games for Children
Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship. Symbiosis refers to an interdependent relationship between two organisms that benefits at least one of the organisms. In mutualism, both species benefit from the relationship. An example of mutualism is the relationship between a monarch butterfly and a milkweed plant. The butterfly lays its eggs on the plant and drinks the plant's nectar. In return, the butterfly pollinates the plant.
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Mosquito and Parasite
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The "Mosquito" online game allows students to play the part of one member of a symbiotic relationship: the Anopheles mosquito. Players take control of the mosquito, bite humans and draw blood from them. In the "Parasite" online game students get to view the world from the point of view of a plasmodium falciparum. The player guides the bacterium into the liver of a human and then into a red blood cell to multiply. Both these games are intended to illustrate the process through which humans are infected with malaria. See this article's Resources section for a link to these games.
This Old Habitat
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"This Old Habitat" is an online game focused on exploring the interdependence of species. Game tasks consist of a question or statement and four organisms from which to choose the correct answer. The game includes extensive explanations about the relationships between the species as they are identified. See the link in the Resources section to play this game.
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Symbiosis in Nature
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"Symbiosis in Nature" is an online trivia game that emphasizes mutualistic relationships between species. The game consists of ten detailed questions about symbiotic relationships. Students mark their answers and submit at the bottom of the page. The website processes the answers, displaying correct and incorrect answers and providing extended explanations about the organisms' relationships. See the Resources link to play this game.
Interdependence Shuffle
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"Interdependence Shuffle" is a game related to the website for "This Old Habitat." The game consists of cards illustrating various symbiotic relationships. The teacher gives a different card to each student. As a type of relationship is discussed, students have to identify whether their species represents that type of relationship. These cards could easily be used to create games for smaller groups, like concentration or a variation of Go Fish. See References to download copies of the cards for this game.
Exploring Symbiosis
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For "Exploring Symbiosis," the teacher passes out species cards to all students. Each student must find the species that has a symbiotic relationship with his organism. After students have found their partner species, they must specify what type of relationship their organisms share: mutualism, communalism or parasitism. The teacher may offer points or rewards for correct answers. See the "University of Oregon: Exploring Symbiosis" link in the References section for more information.
Game Show
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Teachers can make reviewing symbiotic relationships more interesting by playing a mock game show with their students. Using statements from "Boston University: Symbiosis Make it a Game Lesson Plan," the teacher has students guess which type of symbiotic relationship is represented by each statement: mutualism, communalism or parasitism. The teacher may want to provide her own statements or have students help generate them. See the References section for this link.
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References
Resources
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