What is Symbiosis?
Symbiosis is an interaction between two different species that is to the advantage of both species.
Types of Symbiosis
There are three types of symbiosis... They are as follows.
- Mutualism
- Commensalism
- Parasitism
Mutualism
Mutualism is where two organisms of different species have a relationship in which each of the animals benefit from each others activities.
An example found in a tropical rain forest is the leaf cutter ants and fungus. The ants protect the fungi from pests and mold, and the ants lay their larvae in the fungus which feeds it.
An example found in a tropical rain forest is the leaf cutter ants and fungus. The ants protect the fungi from pests and mold, and the ants lay their larvae in the fungus which feeds it.
Commensalism
Commensalism is when one organism obtains food or other benefits from the other. So the Bromeliads get light they grow on trees, this doesn't harm the tree and allows the bromeliads to live.
Parasitism
This is where the parasite lives in the host sometimes without killing it. An example of this is the strangler fig starts out growing on a branch of a tree and eventually grows around the whole tree and kills it.