Living things in nature react to each other and enter into relationships in many ways. One of these types of communication between two organisms is commensalism or parasitism. Examples of such relationships in nature are quite common. Consider the most striking of them.
Definition of parasitism (commensalism)
Relations formed between organisms that interact in nature can be symbiotic in nature. One type of symbiosis is called parasitism, where one organism benefits from a relationship, while other species receive neither benefits nor harm. In total, four areas of benefit are distinguished:
- Food.
- Housing.
- Transportation.
- Seed dispersal.
Types of Commensalism
Most environmental experts group commensal relationships into the following types:
- Chemical commensalism is most often observed between two types of bacteria, one of which feeds on chemicals or waste from the other.
- Inquilism - one animal uses the body or body cavity of another organism as a refuge or living space.
- Entoykia is a form of commensalism that occurs when one species inadvertently creates a house inside the cavity of another, but has access to the external environment.
- Phoresis occurs when one organism attaches to another organism for transport.
- Synoykia (lodging) occurs when one living creature uses another creature or its dwelling as its home.
Case Studies
Commensalism is a scientific term that characterizes the relationship between two living beings from different species, in which one of the organisms benefits, while the other, as they say, is neither hot nor cold. Often commensalism occurs between a large animal and one that is smaller. Here are some examples of hijacking:
- Some shells cannot move independently and are attached to certain inhabitants of the sea element, such as whales. The former benefit from being able to transport across the ocean. The latter do not receive any benefit or harm from this connection.
- The white heron follows the herds of cattle and feeds on the insects that pursue them.
- Monarch Butterfly extracts a poisonous chemical from a plant, euphorbia and stores it in its body to protect it from predators.
- Remora fish and sharks are a good example of commensalism.
The term "commensalism"
Commensalism is the scientific term for the concept of parasite. In time, this type of relationship can be quite short, or it may have the form of a lifelong symbiosis. This term was coined in 1876 by the Belgian paleontologist and zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, who originally used this word to describe the activities of the accompanying animals that followed the predators to finish off their prey. The word "commensalism" comes from the Latin word commensalis, which means "separation, at one table" (com - together, mensa - meal).
Examples of hijacking are very common. Forest frogs use plants as protection. Jackals excluded from the pack will follow the tiger to take possession of the remains of his meal. Small fish live on other marine animals, changing color to merge with the owner, thereby receiving protection from predators.
Burdock produces spiky seeds that cling to animal hair or people's clothing. Plants rely on this method to disperse seeds for propagation, while animals are not affected.
Outlawing: Examples of Animals and Plants
Often one organism uses another for permanent housing. An example is a bird that lives in a hollow tree. Sometimes epiphytic plants growing on trees do not harm the cohabitant, while others can be real parasites and adversely affect the tree, taking away nutrients from it.
Also commensalistic relationships are those in which one organism forms a habitat for another. An example of parasite in this case is hermit crab - here a shell from a dead gastropod is used for protection. Another example would be larvae living on a dead organism.
The animal attaches to another for transportation. This type of commensalism is most commonly found in arthropods, such as insect mites. Other examples include anemone attachment to hermit crab shells, pseudoscorpions living on mammals, and millipedes traveling in birds.
Commensal organisms can form communities within the host organism. An example of such a parasite is the bacterial flora found on human skin. Scientists argue about whether microbiota is indeed a type of commensalism. For example, in the case of skin flora, there is evidence that bacteria give some protection to the host (which would be reciprocity).
Pets and commensalism
Dogs, cats, and other animals also seem to be in commensal relationships with humans. It is believed that the ancestors of the dogs followed the hunters to eat the remains of carcasses. Over time, “collaboration” became mutual when people also took advantage of relationships to get protection from other predators and help track their prey.
Marine "parasites"
Examples of parasitism in nature are relationships between individuals of two species in which one species receives food or other benefits from the other without harming it or without benefiting the latter. A pilot fish swims next to a white shark. Due to the flat oval sucking disc structure at the top of the head, the remora fish adheres to the body of its owner. Both of these parasite fish feed on the remnants of their hosts' food. One of the best-known examples of commensalism in the ocean is the relationship that exists between clones and sea anemones.
Examples of parasitism in biology clearly show the symbiotic relationship between organisms, which is beneficial for one of them and neutral for the other. Many cases of commensalism are surrounded by contradictions, since there is always the likelihood that the commensal owner also benefits or is harmed in ways that are still unknown to science.
Relations of this type are of great importance in nature, as they contribute to closer cooperation of species, more efficient development of space and enrichment of the diversity of food resources.