Diversity of Iowa Lichen

• What kind of a relationship exists between the two parts of the lichen? How do you know?

• What is the role of each organism that makes up the lichen? 
• How can something be two organisms at once? 
• What are other examples of this kind of relationship among organisms? 
• What are examples of other types of relationships among organisms?

Students could:

• Individually record their observations/descriptions of the lichens while watching the video.
• In pairs, brainstorm/discuss examples of familiar living things/items that remind them of the lichens in the video.
• Use phenomenon video to anchor discussions of relationships among organisms familiar to students.
• Develop a claim that lichens are in a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and an alga. Support the claim with evidence and scientific reasoning.
• Research and compare the types of relationships among organisms (mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism). 
• Create a poster of a relationship among organisms (mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism). Provide examples of the relationship.
• Construct a claim that two organisms are an example of a particular relationship (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, etc) and support with scientific evidence and reasoning.

• LiveScience | What Are Lichens?:  LiveScience explains that lichens are a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga. Structure, appearance, counter-examples, and importance are also discussed.
• Utah State University | Fun with Lichens: This article includes a description of lichens, how they grow, and uses.
• Sciencing | Five types of Ecological Relationships: This website defines predation, competition, mutualism, commensalism, and amensalism. The lichen is referenced under "mutualism". Below this article are several related articles that discuss the types of relationships among organisms. 
• National Geographic | Ecological Relationships Lesson:  This activity features videos of ecological relationships, specifically symbiosis. Students categorize the various examples as either mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism. 
• Data Nuggets | Tree-killing Beetles:  provides a lesson on data sets for students to examine, a teacher guide
• National Geographic | Frogs Hitch a Ride on Water Buffalo: This article highlights a unique mutualistic relationship between frogs and buffalo.

Media produced by Iowa PBS.

Submitted by Chantel Karns and Olivia Tebben as part of their Iowa STEM Teacher Externship experience at Iowa PBS.