Reading - Mega goal 3 - ثالث ثانوي

1 Two Is Better Than One O رابط الدرس الرقمي www.ien.edu.sa 8 Reading Before Reading Do you think animals ever form partnerships to help one another? Explain. ANIMAL PARTNERS For animals in the wild, each day is a struggle to survive. They must continually search for food, while at the same time keeping themselves safe from predators. Some animals have learned that teaming up with another animal makes the struggle to find food, shelter, and safety a bit easier. This kind of special relationship in which animals depend upon and benefit from one another is called symbiosis. One of the most visually surprising examples of symbiosis occurs between the fearsome African crocodile and the small plover bird. When a plover is nearby, a crocodile will open its long, sharp-toothed jaws to invite it inside. You might assume that the plover would quickly reject this invitation and fly off. Yet surprisingly, the plover does hop inside. Perhaps even more amazingly, the crocodile, normally known for its aggression, does not snap its mouth shut and have the plover for a snack. Instead, it remains still, not closing its mouth until the plover leaves. How can this strange behavior be explained? The answer is symbiosis. The plover picks out all the small pieces of meat stuck between the crocodile's teeth. In doing so, it cleans the crocodile's teeth, which prevents it from getting infections. Because the crocodile can not clean its own teeth, it depends on the plover to perform this service. In return, the crocodile provides an easy meal for the plover. In some cases of symbiosis, like the crocodile and the plover, each animal in the pair benefits from their relationship in a different way. However, in other cases, the animals share a common goal. This is true of the honeyguide bird and the ratel, a furry creature with short legs and long claws. Both these animals live on grasslands in Africa and have an appetite for honey. As its name suggests, the honeyguide has a special ability for locating beehives. However, this small bird cannot open a beehive to get at the honey. To accomplish this, it teams up with the ratel. Ratels are a perfect match for the honeyguide as they love honey, are large enough to crack open a hive, but have no ability to find hives themselves. The honeyguide flies over grasslands looking for a hive. When it does spot a hive, it swoops down and makes a noise to alert the ratel. The ratel uses its claws to tear open the hive. After eating its fill, the ratel invites the honeyguide to finish the leftovers. Another two animals that team up to compensate for their own weaknesses are the zebra and the ostrich. These two animals often travel together. This is no surprise since they are a perfect match. While the giant, flightless ostrich has poor senses of both smell and hearing, the zebra has acute senses of smell and hearing. On the other hand, the zebra has terrible eyesight, while the ostrich has excellent eyesight, enhanced by its long neck which enables the ostrich to see far into the distance. In this way, each makes up for the other's deficiencies. As a result, the animals are far safer together than they would be apart. Ostriches can see predators, such as lions, far in the distance, while zebras can smell or hear others as they approach. Birds and land animals aren't the only ones that work in symbiotic pairs. Some sea animals, like the clownfish and the sea anemone, do as well. Sea anemones, which look like plants, are actually dangerous animals with وزارة التعليم Ministry of 2ucation 2024-1446 MG_03_COMBO_TEXT_2024.indb 12 30/4/24 3:03 AM

Do you think animals ever form partnerships to help one another? Explain

O poisonous tentacles. Most fish stay away from anemones to avoid being stung. However, the clownfish makes its home among the sea anemones. It does not get stung, because its body is protected by a special coating. Living among the deadly tentacles of an anemone has a clear advantage-most predators stay away! Another benefit for the clownfish is that it is able to eat the anemone's leftover bits of food. But what is the advantage to the anemone? There are several. First, the brightly colored clownfish attracts predators. When the clownfish swims under the anemone's tentacles to safety, if the predator follows, the anemone has the chance to sting and eat it. Other services the clownfish performs are cleaning up food scraps and dead anemone tentacles, and chasing away fish that might eat the anemone. While many symbiotic pairs may at first look like odd partners, the benefits they provide one another are invaluable, and may make the difference between life and death. In fact, it is often these animals' very differences that make them perfect partners. After Reading Answer the questions. 1. Explain the meaning of symbiosis. 2. In what way do the African crocodile and the plover have a symbiotic relationship? 3. Give an example of a case of symbiosis in which each animal has the same goal. 4. Name two animals that make up for each other's deficiencies. How do they do this? 5. What benefits do the clownfish and anemone offer each other? 9 Speaking 1. Work in pairs/groups. Think about your relationship with a good friend. What can you offer each other? 2. Complete the chart with your notes and use them to discuss in class. What can you offer your friend? How does it help your friend? وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 MG_03_COMBO_TEXT_2024.indb 13 What can your friend offer you? How does it help you? 13 30/4/24 3:03 AM

Most fish stay away from anemones to avoid being stung

Work in pairs/groups. Think about your relationship with a good friend What can you offer each other?

Answer the questions Explain the meaning of symbiosis.