Symbiotic relationships
Symbiosis is the different interactions that close species have when they come in contact with each other. The three types of relationships that can be found within the ecosystem are mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. Mutualism is when two individual organisms benefit from being in a relationship with each other. Commensalism is when one organism in a relationship benefits while the other is unaffected by it. Parasitism is when an organism, called a parasite, benefits off of the other organism, the host, at their expense. This leads to the injury of the host.
MutualismA flower and a honeybee share a mutualistic relationship in the ecosystem. One specific flower that attracts bees are the aster x frikartii. Each organism benefits from this relationship because a bee gathers nectar from flowers to use it as food and to convert it into honey. As for flowers, bees help them to reproduce by pollinating them. When bees land on a flower, pollen grasps on to their hairy bodies, so that when a bee lands on another flower, it causes pollination to occur. Pollination is the process in which pollen is moved from the anther, the part of the flower containing the pollen, to the stigma, the part in which the pollen enters.
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commensalismAn example of a commensalistic relationship is a wild orchid and a tree. Orchids grow in a suitable location - on the trunks and branches of trees. Orchids often grow on white oak trees. The tree provides orchids with the necessary sunlight and sufficient amount of nutrients they need. Orchids take in the nutrients they need from bird droppings that are left on the tree. They also take nutrients from any decaying vegetation that is trapped inside the tree’s roots. So, the trees are unaffected by this relationship because the orchids do not take away from their nutrients.
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parasitismThe relationship of a dog and a flea is an example of a parasitic relationship. This is an example of parasitism because the dog is harmed, while the flea benefits; it feeds on the blood of the dog and uses the dog to move to another host. The parasite becomes a nuisance to the dog and only ends up irritating it through their relationship. In addition, if the flea carries a disease, the dog may be infected by it.
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