SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP: COMMENSALISM

DEFINITION: EXAMPLE 1: Barnacle and Whale EXAMPLE 2: Cattle and Egret

Barnacles benefit from
Commensalism is a type of symbiotic
attaching to whales
relationship between two species in which one
because they gain
species benefits while the other species is
shelter, transportation,
unaffected, i.e., neither benefits or harmed.
and food. This whale
is unaffected.
The egrets forage close to
where the cattle are grazing
because cattle stir up and flush
out insects from vegetation that
otherwise might be difficult for
egrets to find and catch.

EXAMPLE 3: Birds and Trees EXAMPLE 4: Goby Fish and Coral

Birds use trees to Goby fish benefit from the
create nests (shelter) protection and habitat in the
and to protect corals. The goby fish change
themselves and their color to blend in with host,
offspring while they thus gaining protection from
search for food. predator. Coral is unaffected.

INTERACTION BETWEEN ORGANISMS:

In commensalism, one species (the commensal) obtains benefits such as food, shelter, or locomotion
from another species (the host) without causing adverse effects to the host.
- The population of the commensal would increase because the host provides additional source
of resources: food, shelter, etc. This increases the carrying capacity (the maximum number of
individuals that an environment can sustain) of the commensal because there is an increased
availability of resources. The organism carries out its usual roles, i.e., no effect on the
commensal’s niche.
- The population of the host will not be affected because the host is neither advantaged nor References:
disadvantaged. The carrying capacity also remains unchanged because there are no additional https://biologydictionary.net/commensalism/
resources to promote population increase of host. Commensalism causes an expansion of the https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/commensali
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niche of the host because the host now has an additional role of providing food, shelter, mensalism,up%20by%20the%20feeding%20cattle
transportation, etc., for the commensal. https://microbiologynote.com/commensalism/