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Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. [1] This is in contrast with mutualism , in which both organisms benefit from each other; amensalism , where one is harmed while the other is unaffected; and parasitism , where one is ...
Commensalism is an interaction in which one species benefits and the other species is unaffected. Epiphytes (plants growing on other plants, usually trees) have a commensal relationship with their host plant because the epiphyte benefits in some way ( e.g. , by escaping competition with terrestrial plants or by gaining greater access to ...
Commensalism benefits one organism and the other organism is neither benefited nor harmed. It occurs when one organism takes benefits by interacting with another organism by which the host organism is not affected. A good example is a remora living with a manatee. Remoras feed on the manatee's faeces.
The strict definition of phoresis excludes cases in which the relationship is permanent (e.g. that of a barnacle surviving on a whale), or those in which the phoront gains any kind of advantage from the host organism (e.g. remoras attaching to sharks for transportation and food). [3]
The definition of symbiosis was a matter of debate for 130 years. [7] In 1877, Albert Bernhard Frank used the term symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens. [8] [9] In 1878, the German mycologist Heinrich Anton de Bary defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms".
The type of interactions they can contain can be classified into six categories: mutualism, commensalism, neutralism, amensalism, antagonism, and competition. Observing and estimating the fitness costs and benefits of species interactions can be very problematic. The way interactions are interpreted can profoundly affect the ensuing conclusions.
For instance, barnacles on whales is an example of an ectosymbiotic relationship where the whale provides the barnacle with a home, a ride, and access to food. The whale is not harmed, but it also does not receive any benefits so this is also an example of commensalism. An example of ectosymbiotic bacteria is cutibacterium acnes. These bacteria ...
Commensalism, a concept developed by Pierre-Joseph van Beneden (1809–1894), a Belgian professor at the University of Louvain during the nineteenth century [14] is central to the microbiome, where microbiota colonize a host in a non-harmful coexistence.