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2007-03-23 00:35:39 · 5 answers · asked by divya m 1 in Education & Reference Homework Help

5 answers

Symbiosis (Greek symbioun, “to live together”), in biology, term for the interdependence of different species, which are sometimes called symbionts. There are three main types of symbiosis, based upon the specific relationship between the species involved: mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.
Symbiosis that results in mutual benefit to the interdependent organisms is commonly known as mutualism. An example of mutualism is the coexistence of certain species of algae and fungi that together compose lichens. Their close association enables them to live in extreme environments, nourished only by light, air, and minerals. Living separately, the alga and fungus would not survive in such conditions. Another example is the relationship between most mycorrhizae and certain plants. Mycorrhizae are fungal growths on the roots of such plants as heaths, orchids, and many conifers. The fungi penetrate the roots of the plants and make soil nutriments such as nitrogen available to the plants, receiving carbohydrates in return.
In parasitism, also known as antagonistic symbiosis, one organism receives no benefits and is often injured while supplying nutrients or shelter for the other organism (see Parasite). Parasites include viruses and bacteria that cause many diseases; certain protozoans that can infect plants and animals; tapeworms and flukes that infest the intestinal tracks and internal organs of animals; and external parasites such as lice and ticks. There are also parasitic plants like mistletoe that draw their nourishment from the branches of other plants.
The type of symbiosis known as commensalism is an association between two different kinds of nonparasitic animals, called commensals, that is harmless to both and in which one of the organism benefits. Many commensals are free to separate. Other commensals function together so completely that they cannot separate. They are not considered parasitic, however, because they do not harm each other. An example is a polyp found in deep water off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. It attaches itself to the shell of a certain species of hermit crab and, by budding, covers the entire shell with a colony that dissolves the original shell. Because the colony grows at the same rate as the crab, it furnishes continuous protection, and the crab does not shed its shell at periodic intervals as it normally would. The polyp, in turn, benefits by moving about with the crab, thereby obtaining a greater food supply than it would if attached to a stationary object. Commensalism is most common among marine invertebrates, but it often occurs among land animals—for example, in the association of ants with other insects such as aphids and beetles. The association of colon bacteria with humans and other animals, especially plant-eating animals, is also a type of commensalism. Good Luck !

2007-03-23 01:33:45 · answer #1 · answered by ahmos 4 · 1 0

Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species. Sometimes a symbiotic relationship benefits both species, sometimes one species benefits at the other's expense, and in other cases neither species benefits.

Ecologists use a different term for each type of symbiotic relationship:

Mutualism -- both species benefit
Commensalism -- one species benefits, the other is unaffected
Parasitism -- one species benefits, the other is harmed
Competition -- neither species benefits
Neutralism -- both species are unaffected

An example of mutual symbiosis is the relationship between clownfish of the genus Amphiprion (family, Pomacentridae) that dwell among the tentacles of tropical sea anemones. The territorial fish protects the anemone from anemone-eating fish, and in turn the stinging tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from its predators (a special mucus on the clownfish protects it from the stinging tentacles).


Some goby fish species live in symbiosis with a shrimp.Another example is the goby fish, which sometimes lives together with a shrimp. The shrimp digs and cleans up a burrow in the sand in which both the shrimp and the goby fish live. The shrimp is almost blind leaving it vulnerable to predators when above ground. In case of danger the goby fish touches the shrimp with its tail to warn it. When that happens both the shrimp and goby fish quickly retract into the burrow.

A famous land version of symbiosis is the relationship of the Egyptian Plover bird and the crocodile. In this relationship, the bird is well known for preying on parasites that feed on crocodiles and are potentially harmful to them. To that end, the crocodile openly invites the bird to hunt on his body, even going so far as to open the jaws to allow the bird to enter the mouth safely to hunt. For the bird's part, this relationship not only is a ready source of food, but a safe one considering that few predator species would dare strike at the bird at such proximity to its host.

One of the most spectacular examples of a symbiosis is between the siboglinid tube worms and symbiotic bacteria that live at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. This is a mutualistic symbiosis where the worm completely loses its digestive tract and is solely reliant on their internal symbionts for nutrition. The bacteria oxidize either hydrogen sulfide or methane which the host supplies to them. These worms were discovered in the late 1970s at the hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Islands and have since been found at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps in all of the world's oceans.

2007-03-24 15:58:08 · answer #2 · answered by Cutie 4 · 0 0

A stable and reciprocally profitable association between two different living organisms.

Symbiosis can bring together two very different organisms: 1) two animals. For example, oxbirds ride the backs of African Cape buffalo eating the buffalo’s parasites: the bird gets a free meal; the buffalo gets rid of annoying insects) ; 2) a plant and a fungus. For example, a lichen is a convenient union between an alga and a fungus ; 3) an animal and a plant. For example, bees transport pollen from plant to plant when they search the plants for nectar: bees nourish themselves on the nectar; the plants reproduce after fertilisation by the pollen from other plants ; 4) a bacteria and an animal (for example, the bacteria present in the digestive tracts of herbivores) or a bacteria and a plant, among many other combinations. The concept of symbiosis can extend to the relationships that humans and their machines have with the planet’s ecosystems.

2007-03-23 04:47:52 · answer #3 · answered by Eden* 7 · 1 0

Symbiosis (pl. symbioses) is a close association between two different types of organisms in a community. It can be defined as:

'The living together in permanent or prolonged close association of members of usually two different species, with beneficial or deleterious consequences for at least one of the parties.[1]

There are several classes of symbiosis below. The symbols in brackets are intended to aid understanding, and are not formal definitions.

Mutualism, a relationship in which members of two different species benefit and neither suffers.'[2] (+ +)
Commensalism, a relationship in which 'one party gains some benefit, whilst the other suffers no serious disadvantage'[3] (+ 0)
Parasitism, in which one member of the association benefits while the other is harmed (+ -)
Amensalism, in which the association is disadvantageous to one member while the other is not affected (− 0)
Neutralism, in which both organisms are unaffected (0 0)
Competition, in which both organisms are harmed (- -)
Artificial symbiosis, the mutually beneficial integration between a live part and an artifact.
Symbiosis may be divided into two distinct categories: ectosymbiosis and endosymbiosis. In ectosymbiosis, the symbiont lives on the body surface of the host, including the inner surface of the digestive tract or the ducts of exocrine glands. In endosymbiosis, the symbiont lives within the tissues of the host; either in the intracellular space or extracellularly.

An example of mutual symbiosis is the relationship between clownfish of the genus Amphiprion (family, Pomacentridae) that dwell among the tentacles of tropical sea anemones. The territorial fish protects the anemone from anemone-eating fish, and in turn the stinging tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from its predators (a special mucus on the clownfish protects it from the stinging tentacles).


Some goby fish species live in symbiosis with a shrimp.Another example is the goby fish, which sometimes lives together with a shrimp. The shrimp digs and cleans up a burrow in the sand in which both the shrimp and the goby fish live. The shrimp is almost blind leaving it vulnerable to predators when above ground. In case of danger the goby fish touches the shrimp with its tail to warn it. When that happens both the shrimp and goby fish quickly retract into the burrow.

A famous land version of symbiosis is the relationship of the Egyptian Plover bird and the crocodile. In this relationship, the bird is well known for preying on parasites that feed on crocodiles and are potentially harmful to them. To that end, the crocodile openly invites the bird to hunt on his body, even going so far as to open the jaws to allow the bird to enter the mouth safely to hunt. For the bird's part, this relationship not only is a ready source of food, but a safe one considering that few predator species would dare strike at the bird at such proximity to its host.

One of the most spectacular examples of a symbiosis is between the siboglinid tube worms and symbiotic bacteria that live at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. This is a mutualistic symbiosis where the worm completely loses its digestive tract and is solely reliant on their internal symbionts for nutrition. The bacteria oxidize either hydrogen sulfide or methane which the host supplies to them. These worms were discovered in the late 1970s at the hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Islands and have since been found at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps in all of the world's oceans

2007-03-23 01:36:10 · answer #4 · answered by nana 2 · 1 0

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2016-12-19 12:05:40 · answer #5 · answered by ? 2 · 0 0

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