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Fungi's relationship to plants in the form of mycelium evolved from parasitism and commensalism. Under certain conditions species of fungi previously in a state of mutualism can turn parasitic on weak or dying plants. [24] Likewise the symbiotic relationship of clown fish and sea anemones emerged from a commensalist relationship.
A spectacular example of obligate mutualism is the relationship between the siboglinid tube worms and symbiotic bacteria that live at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The worm has no digestive tract and is wholly reliant on its internal symbionts for nutrition. The bacteria oxidize either hydrogen sulfide or methane, which the host supplies ...
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.
Ecological facilitation or probiosis describes species interactions that benefit at least one of the participants and cause harm to neither. [1] Facilitations can be categorized as mutualisms, in which both species benefit, or commensalisms, in which one species benefits and the other is unaffected.
Not all examples of mutualism are also examples of cooperation. Specifically, in by-product mutualism, both participants benefit, but cooperation is not involved. For example, when an elephant defecates, this is beneficial to the elephant as a way to empty waste, and it is also beneficial to a dung beetle that uses the elephant's dung.
The Rhizobia-Legume symbiosis (bacteria-plant endosymbiosis) is a prime example of this modality. [21] The Rhizobia-legume symbiotic relationship is important for processes such as the formation of root nodules. It starts with flavonoids released by the legume host, which causes the rhizobia species (endosymbiont) to activate its Nod genes. [21]
Ectosymbiosis is defined as a symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on the outside surface of a different organism. [3] 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 fungus Escovopsis is a parasite in fungus-growing ant colonies that can greatly harm the fungal gardens through infection, [22] and the bacterium Pseudonocardia has a mutualistic relationship with ants. The relationship is thought to have been used by the ants for millions of years, co-evolving to produce the right type of antibiotics.