Over time, various living organisms have struck relationships where one or both benefit. Described as symbiotic relationships, these interactions come in multiple forms, all of which are critical in various ecosystems. From mutualism to parasitism and commensalism, this article explains in detail what symbiotic relationships are, highlights popular examples, and explains why symbiotic relationships are important.
What Is a Symbiotic Relationship?
A symbiotic relationship is defined as a close, long-term interaction between different species living in close physical proximity. The impact of the relationship depends on what kind it is.
Types of Symbiotic Relationships
Different types of symbiotic relationships exist. They include:
Mutualism
This is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from each other. An example is the interaction between bees and flowering plants; the insects get nectar while the plants are pollinated.
Parasitism
Only one of the two species benefits from the symbiotic relationship in parasitic relationships. To make it worse, the ones that don’t benefit usually end up harmed. For instance, when ticks attack cattle, they suck the blood of them. The ticks gain nourishment at the expense of the host.
Commensalism
Here, only one species benefits from the symbiotic relationship. However, the other one that doesn’t get anything from the corporation is not harmed. The relationship between barnacles and whales is a good example of commensalism.
How Do Groupers And Octopi Have a Symbiotic Relationship?
The symbiotic relationship between groupers and octopi is interesting. By nature, groupers are fast-swimming and can patrol open waters searching for prey. However, because of their relatively larger bodies, groupers can’t navigate tight spaces, making it hard to reach some prey.
On the other hand, octopi have tinier, smoother bodies that can navigate through the crevices. However, they lack the speed needed to catch prey in open waters. So, groupers and octopi have a symbiotic relationship where the former signals the latter, usually by shaking their bodies or performing a headstand near a hiding spot. Then, the octopus flashes the prey from their hiding spots. As the prey tries to escape, the octopus or the grouper can capture it.
What Is The Symbiotic Relationship Between Silverfish/Army Ants?
Silverfish and army ants have a commensalism type of symbiotic relationship. As the ants go on raids, silverfish follow them, feeding on prey remains and crumbs that the ants leave behind. In other instances, silverfish can blend in with the army ants’ movements, allowing them to avoid detection by predators.
The symbiotic relationship between army ants and silverfish is described as commensalism because, despite silverfish “riding” with the ants, they do not deter the host in any way.
What Is the Symbiotic Relationship between Mistletoe/Spruce Tree?
Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant. This means that, for it to execute some photosynthesis, it must rely on the host for nutrients and water. Usually, mistletoe’s host is the spruce tree, which bears the burden of providing the much-needed resources.
As mistletoe penetrates the spruce tree’s bark and vascular tissues to extract water and nutrients, it weakens the host, reducing its growth and subjecting it to diseases. In worst cases, mistletoes can contribute to the spruce trees’ death. Therefore, the symbiotic relationship between mistletoe and spruce trees is parasitic.
What Is the Symbiotic Relationship between Ostrich/Gazelle?
Ostriches and gazelles have a mutualism type of symbiotic relationship; they both benefit from the “arrangement.” By standing near gazelles, ostriches, which have good eyesight but poor hearing, have a better chance of detecting and evading predators. This is so because gazelles have better hearing but poor eyesight, so they, too, benefit from being near gazelles.
Bee/Marabou Stork Symbiotic Relationship
Bees usually build their nests in trees or places with marabou stork nests. As a result, the bees benefit from the marabous storks’ presence, which helps deter predators or intruders such as monkeys. However, marabou storks don’t benefit or get affected by the presence of bees, making it a commensalism symbiotic relationship.
Deer/Tick Symbiotic Relationship
By attaching themselves to deer skin, ticks benefit from sucking the much-needed nutrients from the host. On the other hand, the deer is harmed by this relationship. It endures irritation, blood loss, and severe infestations. To make it worse, ticks carry some diseases, such as Lyme disease, which can be fatal for the deer. Theirs is a parasitism type of symbiotic relationship.
Harpy Eagle Symbiotic Relationship
Scientists have yet to establish a specific symbiotic relationship with any other species. However, the birds still play a critical role in maintaining the ecosystems. They eat berries and fruits, dispersing the seeds in different areas for reproduction.
Honeyguide Bird/Badger Symbiotic Relationship
Honeyguide bird and honey badger share a mutualism type of symbiotic relationship; they both benefit from their corporation. The honeyguide bird leads the honey badger to a beehive through vocalization and flying toward it. When the honey badger finds, and breaks open the hive, the honeyguide bird feeds on the leftover beeswax, larvae, and honey.
Honey badgers benefit from this relationship because the honeyguide bird helps to identify beehives that the honey badger would probably not have found on their own.
Symbiotic Relationship Examples
Apart from those already mentioned, here are more symbiotic relationship examples:
- Cuckoo/Warbler Symbiotic Relationship (parasitism)
- Mouse Flea Symbiotic Relationship (parasitism)
- Warthog Symbiotic Relationship with Meerkats (commensalism)
Animals in the Ocean That Have Symbiotic Relationship
Examples of symbiotic relationships in the aquatic ecosystem include:
- Clownfish and sea anemones (mutualism)
- Cleaner fish and host fish (mutualism)
- Coral and zooxanthellae (mutualism)
- Sharks and prawn cleaner shrimp (mutualism)
- Sea turtles and algae (commensalism)
- Smut fungus and fish (parasitism)
- Remora/Shark Symbiotic Relationship Name (commensalism)
- Hermit Crab/Snail Shell Symbiotic Relationship (commensalism)
