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In evolution, cooperation is the process where groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual benefits. It is commonly defined as any adaptation that has evolved, at least in part, to increase the reproductive success of the actor's social partners. [1]
Many animal species cooperate with each other in mutual symbiosis.One example is the ocellaris clownfish, which dwells among the tentacles of Ritteri sea anemones.The anemones provide the clownfish with protection from their predators (which cannot tolerate the stings of the sea anemone's tentacles), while the fish defend the anemones against butterflyfish (which eat anemones)
A further example of protocooperation is the connection between ants and aphids. The ant searches for food on trees and shrubs that are hosts to honeydew-secreting species such as aphids, mealybugs, and some scales. The ant gathers the sugary substance and takes it to its nest as food for its offspring.
The black walnut secretes a chemical from its roots that harms neighboring plants, an example of competitive antagonism.. In ecology, a biological interaction is the effect that a pair of organisms living together in a community have on each other.
An example of such "whole-community" facilitation is substrate stabilization of cobble beach plant communities in Rhode Island, US, by smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). [6] Large beds of cordgrass buffer wave action, thus allowing the establishment and persistence of a community of less disturbance-tolerant annual and perennial plants ...
Despite a different definition between mutualism and symbiosis, they have been largely used interchangeably in the past, and confusion on their use has persisted. [6] Mutualism plays a key part in ecology and evolution. For example, mutualistic interactions are vital for terrestrial ecosystem function as:
The majority of the time, organisms partaking in these behaviours have a shared interest in cooperation. In microbial systems, this is often seen in the production of metabolically expensive molecules, known as public goods. Many microbes, especially bacteria, produce numerous public goods that are released into the extracellular environment.
The Evolution of Cooperation is a 1984 book written by political scientist Robert Axelrod [1] that expands upon a paper of the same name written by Axelrod and evolutionary biologist W.D. Hamilton. [2] The article's summary addresses the issue in terms of "cooperation in organisms, whether bacteria or primates". [2]