This document discusses interdependency between living things. It explains that babies are dependent on others for their needs but the relationship is not interdependent. Animals depend on plants for food, oxygen, and shelter. Plants and animals create an interdependent relationship where plants provide oxygen and food/habitat for animals, and animals in turn provide carbon dioxide and help plants reproduce and disperse seeds. The relationship between plants and animals is one of interdependency.

1. Interdependency
Big word
Can you say it?
Do you know what it means?
By Moira Whitehouse PhD

2. Let’s first look at the word
“dependent” which is found
within this big word. What does
it mean?
A tiny baby before it can crawl,
walk or talk is pretty much
dependent on grownups to
meet all its needs.

3. Someone must
give the tiny
baby food and
water.

4. Someone must put
on the baby’s clothes
and wrap it in a
blanket to keep it.
warm
Gown-ups
provide a
home for
the baby.

5. The tiny baby is completely
dependent on others to satisfy
its needs.
The baby needs someone else
to provide it food, water and
shelter.

6. But what about the people who take care
of the baby? Are they dependent on the
baby for any of their needs?
No, babies cannot take care of their parents.
Babies and parents are not interdependent.
Things that are interdependent depend on
each other to satisfy their needs.
Now let’s look at some animals that are
interdependent, they are dependent upon
each other.

7. Interdependency of crocodiles and plovers:
A crocodile invites
plovers into its mouth
but not to eat them.
The plover picks meat
out of the crocodile’s
teeth keeping them
clean and free from
infection. The hungry
bird, in turn, gets a
“free” meal.

8. The two animals depend on one
another—they are interdependent.
What about plants and animals,
are they interdependent—do they
dependent on one another?
First let’s look at animal side of
that question. Are animals
dependent upon plants?

9. What do
animals like
bison and
antelope
eat?

10. What do
animals like
giraffe eat?
Animals such as
bison, antelope
and giraffe eat
blades of grass
or leaves which
are “p _ _ _ _ _”.

11. One of these birds is eating berries
found on a plant; the other seeds
from a flower.

12. Both the
hummingbird
and butterfly
drink a sweet
liquid called
nectar that is
found in some
flowers.

13. These plant eating animals (herbivores) are
dependent on plants for _________.
What about animals that eat other
animals? (carnivores)

14. Carnivores eat animals such as rabbits and
mice but these animals eat plants. So in
the long run, all animals, even carnivores
are “d_ _ _ _ d _ _ t” on plants for food.
What are some things besides food do
animals need to survive?

15. What about an animal’s need for oxygen?
Do plants help provide oxygen for animals?
Remember when
plants make food
they take in carbon
dioxide from the air
and give off
oxygen. Animals in
turn breathe in that
oxygen.

16. Plants add oxygen to the air. Without
plants to replace the oxygen in air that
animals need, animals would die.
So we know that animals depend on plants
for food and oxygen. But what else?

17. Birds often
build nests
in ________.
The mother
deer hides her
fawn in
the________.

18. Some birds use
holes in cacti or
trees for their
homes.
Small animals like
possums live in
hollow trees.

19. These animals are dependent on plants to
satisfy their need for “s _ _ l _ _ r.” Living
in trees, cacti and grass protects the
animals and their babies from weather and
from their enemies.
So animals are always dependent on plants
for “f_ _ _” and “o_ y _ _ n” and
sometimes for “sh_ _ _ _ _.”
What about their need for water?.

20. Most animals find their drinking water
from puddles, ponds, river or lakes.
However, some animals that live in deserts,
where there is very little water, have a
harder time. They must get their water by
eating plants.
Tortoises get water
from cacti and other
plants.

21. Let’s review: Can you remember the ways
that animals depend on plants?
Which living things make food?
a. animals b. plants
Which living things do not make food?
a. animals b. plants
Animals either eat “_ _ _ _ t _” or they
eat animals that do eat “_ l _ _ _ _”.
So without plants, animals would not
have any “f_ _ _” and would die.

22. While making food, plants give off
“o_ _ _ _ _” which animals need to live.
In places with little rainfall, some animals
get their water from
a. drinking out of wells
b. digging ponds
c. eating plants

23. Some animals dig holes in the ground for
shelter from the weather and protection
from enemies. Can you think of three
kinds of shelter animals might build or
find in or on plants?
1. _______________________________
2. _______________________________
3. _______________________________

24. We have seen how animals use plants to
satisfy many of their needs. How about
animals? Do they help plants stay alive?
Do plants need animals for food?
Plants do not need animals for food
because
a. they don’t need food
b. they get their food from the soil.
c. they make their own food

25. We know that plants need carbon dioxide
and water to make food. Do animals
have anything to do with providing
carbon dioxide for animals?
Yes. Remember
animals breathe
out carbon
dioxide which
plants can use to
make food.

26. Animals don’t provide much water for
plants, but there other things that animals
can do to help plants survive?
One thing is that they help plants
reproduce by carrying the pollen from the
male part of the plant to the female part so
that the flower can make seeds. Without
this important work, usually done by
insects or small birds and animals, many
plants could not make new plants.

27. Insects getting food by drinking
nectar from the flowers and at the
same time moving the pollen
gathered on their bodies onto other
flowers where needed by the plant
to make seeds.

28. Animals also help plants by carrying the seeds
of the plant to a different place.
Some plants, like burrs, have sticky barbs that
get tangled in animal fur or feathers and are
then carried far away to new places where the
plant has room to grow.

29. Some animals like squirrels bury seeds to
save for eating when it is cold. However,
if they do not return to get the it, the
seed can grow into a new plant.

30. So in review:
Animals help plants by:
a. putting oxygen into the air.
b. putting carbon dioxide into the air.
Some animals help plants by:
a. carrying pollen so the flower can
make new seeds.
b. carrying the plant’s seeds to a new
place to grow.
c. making food for the plant.
d. Both a and b.

31. Some mother and
father birds like these
robins bring food to
the babies and build a
nest to protect them
from enemies and
bad weather. The
baby birds are
“_ _ p _ _ d _ _ _” on
their parents for
survival.

32. However, the robin’s parents are not
dependent on the the babies for survival.
So the babies and parents are not:
a. related
b. interdependent
c. members of the same family
d. the same color

33. Tiny birds eat ticks and lice that live on a zebra’s
skin. The bird gets food while zebra gets rid of
bothersome biting insects.
We say these two animals are interdependent
because:
a. Only the bird depends on the zebra.
b. Only the zebra depends on the bird.
c. They both depend on one another.

34. Plants and animals are said to be
interdependent because:
a. Only plants depend on animals for
survival. Animals do not depend on
plants.
b. Only animals depend on plants for
survival. Plants do not depend on
animals.
c. Plants and animals both depend on
one another for survival.