Introduction
In nature, every living organism does not live in isolation. He is surrounded by many other representatives of wildlife. And they all interact with each other. Interactions between organisms, as well as their influence on living conditions, represent a set of biotic factors.
Typically, symbiosis is mutualistic, i.e. the cohabitation of both organisms (symbionts) is mutually beneficial and arises in the process of evolution as one of the forms of adaptation to the conditions of existence. symbiosis can be carried out both at the level multicellular organisms, and at the level of individual cells (intracellular symbiosis). Plants can enter into symbiotic relationships with plants, plants with animals, animals with animals, plants and animals with microorganisms, microorganisms with microorganisms. The term “symbiosis” was first introduced by him. botanist A. de Bary (1879) as applied to lichens.
At the beginning of the 20th century. Russian scientists K. Merezhkovsky and A. Famintsyn put forward a hypothesis about the leading role of symbiosis in the progressive evolution of the organic world (hypothesis symbiogenesis ), considering, for example, the chloroplasts of flowering plants as modified symbiotic algae. This seemingly forgotten concept is being revived. Many modern scientists (microbiologists, cytologists and others) associate the emergence of the eukaryotic cell in the evolution with the phenomena of symbiosis. In particular, mitochondria are considered as modified prokaryotic symbionts. At the same time, the similarity of mitochondrial DNA with the DNA of the circular “chromosome” of prokaryotes is emphasized.
Possible the following types the influence of some organisms on others:
· Positive (+) - one organism benefits at the expense of another.
· Negative (?) - the body is harmed due to something else.
· Neutral (0) - the other does not affect the body in any way.
Thus, the following options for relationships between two organisms are possible according to the type of influence they have on each other:
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Mutualism- under natural conditions, populations cannot exist without each other (example: symbiosis of a fungus and algae in a lichen) |
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Protocooperation- a form of symbiosis in which coexistence is beneficial, but not necessary for cohabitants. (for example, the relationship between a crab and an anemone: the anemone protects the crab and uses it as a means of transportation) |
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Commensalism- one population benefits from the relationship, while the other receives neither benefit nor harm. |
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Cohabitation- one organism uses another (or its home) as a place of residence without causing harm to the latter. |
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Freeloading- one organism feeds on the leftover food of another. |
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Neutralism- both populations do not influence each other in any way. |
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Amensalism, antibiosis- one population negatively influences another, but does not itself experience negative influence. |
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Predation- a phenomenon in which one organism feeds on the organs and tissues of another, without a symbiotic relationship. |
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Competition- both populations negatively influence each other. |
In the abstract I will consider symbiotic interactions.
1. Symbiosis
Symbiosis(from the Greek ???- - “together” and ???? - “life”) is the mutually beneficial coexistence of representatives of different biological species.
Occurs in nature wide range examples of mutually beneficial symbiosis. From stomach and intestinal bacteria, without which digestion would be impossible, to plants (often orchids), whose pollen can only be spread by one specific type of insect. Such relationships are always successful when they increase the chances of survival for both partners. The actions carried out during symbiosis or the substances produced are essential and irreplaceable for the partners. In a generalized sense, such a symbiosis - intermediate between interaction and fusion.
Irisomyrmex ants and the Myrmecodia plant benefit from a symbiotic relationship. Ants feed on the sugary nectar of this plant, which is produced in nectaries (1) that develop at the base of the flower (2) after the petals and sepals fall. The plant consumes vital important minerals from the defecation of ants and their waste (3). which are absorbed through the warty inner surface of the cavities (4). This plant is an epiphyte that grows on trees in remote tropical forests, where soils are often nutrient poor. The mineral nutrients provided by the ants supplement the plants' meager diet. As the plant grows, its stem enlarges and the cavities into which ants enter become larger (5). These cavities are not interconnected, but have separate exits to the outside (6), so a whole colony of ants can soon be housed in such a plant.
It should be noted that a complex of relationships such as symbiosis contains a wide variety of transitions - from relationships that are more or less indifferent to those in which both members of the cohabitation ensure mutual existence. "Though there is thus no proof that any animal performs an act exclusively beneficial to another species," wrote Charles Darwin in Origin of Species, "yet each strives to profit by the instincts of others."
2. Mutualism
Mutualism - mutually beneficial cohabitation, when the presence of a partner becomes a prerequisite for the existence of each of them. An example is the cohabitation of nodule bacteria and leguminous plants, which can live together on soils poor in nitrogen and enrich the soil with it.
The closest form of mutualism is when one organism lives inside another. A striking example of this is the digestive system of cows and other ruminants. Cows, like humans, are not able to digest cellulose, a substance found in large quantities in plants. But ruminants have special body- scar. It is a cavity in which many microbes live. Plant food, after the animal has chewed it, enters the rumen, and there these microbes destroy cellulose. (The animal can regurgitate and chew the partially broken down food again - this is what cows do when they chew their cud.) A cow's rumen is a closed microecosystem formed by many different microorganisms whose job is to digest cellulose for their host. Likewise root system higher plants formed by the interweaving of root tissue and fungal threads, so that the fungi supply the plant with minerals.
In the animal world, an example of the most perfect symbiosis is provided by termites, whose digestive tract serves as a shelter for flagellates or bacteria. Thanks to symbiosis, termites are able to digest wood, and microorganisms receive a shelter, outside of which they cannot exist.
Mutually beneficial relationships can be formed based on behavioral reactions, for example, as in birds that combine their own feeding with the dispersal of seeds. Sometimes mutualist species enter into close relationships physical interaction, as in the formation of mycorrhiza (fungal roots) between mushrooms and plants. For a long time it was not clear whether lichens were classified as fungi or algae. It turned out that lichen is a symbiotic system of fungus and algae, the functional and morphological connection of which is so close that they can be considered as a special kind of organism, unlike any of its components. Therefore, lichens are usually classified not as symbioses of two species, but as individual species living organisms. The algae supplies the fungus with products of photosynthesis, and the fungus, being a decomposer, supplies the algae with minerals and, in addition, is the substrate on which it lives. This allows lichens to exist in extremely harsh conditions.
Clownfish live near sea anemones. When threatened, the fish finds refuge in the tentacles of sea anemones. At the same time, clown fish drive away other fish that like to feast on sea anemones. Thus, both organisms mutually benefit from this proximity. A variation of this type of mutualism is when one species feeds another: for example, a person grows crops and cattle; ants grow mushrooms.
3. Protocol cooperation
Protocooperation(Gr. protos - first, lat. cooperatio - cooperation) refers to optional (optional) interactions, since both partners can exist without each other. Examples of protocooperation are: the symbiosis of sea anemone and hermit crab, symbiosis between a person and non-pathogenic bacteria living in his intestines, the presence of similar warning colors in different protected species of insects, for example, the black-yellow-striped body color of wasps, bees and bumblebees (Müllerian mimicry) .
This relationship is mutually beneficial for both partners. Such associations between different species are very common in nature and are extremely important. important role in the evolution of a disparate community of living organisms into an integral supersystem up to a single living organism. It is in these relationships that the greatest number synergistic effects that ultimately develop into pronounced emergent properties of the supersystem.
Cases of mutualism most often occur in organisms with different needs. Very often, for example, such relationships arise between autotrophs and heterotrophs. At the same time, they seem to complement each other. That is, in mutualism the principle of complementarity is most fully manifested, as the most fundamental law nature. A biosystem that is defective in some respect seeks to find a partner capable of “covering” this defect, but in its own way also defective, whose defect is covered by the first partner. This is not mutualism yet, but proto-cooperation. The joint evolution of such partners contributes to a narrower specialization of each of them, while their initial inferiority becomes even more obvious. But this is energetically more beneficial for the system as a whole, so such a system acquires greater viability. However, each of the components individually becomes extremely vulnerable.
An example of protocooperation is the relationship between crabs and coelenterates, which attach to crabs, camouflaging and protecting them with their stinging cells. At the same time they use crabs as vehicles and eat the remains of their food.
4. Commensalism
Commensalism(lat. con mensa- literally “at the table”, “at the same table”) - relationships between individuals or groups different types that coexist without conflict and without mutual assistance (for example, silverfish and humans).
The intestines of any animal contain a large number of different organisms. Some of the intestinal bacteria, previously classified as commensals, may be beneficial to the host, for example, by synthesizing B vitamins, some of which can be absorbed by the host. Therefore, such bacteria should be considered as symbionts and not commensals. Opposite situations are also known, when organisms considered symbionts actually turned out to be commensals. It was assumed, in particular, that some ciliates ( Entodinium, Epidinium, Diplodinium), found in huge quantities in the rumen and other parts of the stomach of ruminants, help the owner break down fiber and vegetable proteins, mix digested food, and also control the number of bacteria and fungi. However, it was later shown that the digestion of these substances in ruminants (cattle, sheep, antelopes) is ensured by other microorganisms.
Ectocommensalism is extremely widespread. An example of this could be the presence of bacteria on the surface of human skin or some protozoa (ciliates Hypotricha, Chontricha, Peritricha, and representatives of the class of sucking ciliates Suctoria) on the body surface of many invertebrates (hydra, various sponges, crustaceans and annelids), as well as vertebrates (fish, amphibians). The host is used by these species only as a habitat; he receives no benefit from them.
Another form of commensalism is demonstrated by some bacteria. Thus, if one species of bacteria cannot use some potentially nutritious material, and another species of bacteria breaks down this material, forming substances that the first is able to consume, then the first species will grow as a commensal of the second. In this case, commensalism is presented in its literal sense - as “common meal” (Latin com - together, mensa - table, meal).
In general, the partners do not have any common interests, and each exists perfectly on his own. However, such unions make it easier for one of the participants to move or obtain food, find shelter, etc. Sometimes such unions can be completely fictitious. Thus, in the shells of mollusks and the shells of crustaceans, various types of bryozoans are sometimes found. This union is completely accidental, since bryozoans are able to attach to any hard surface, and yet many sedentary animals benefit from attaching to a living creature. The owner carries them from place to place. Often, when moving, the flow of water makes it easier for them to get food.
Among commensals there are pholeoxenes, which are found by chance in burrows and nests; foleophiles, found in these refuges more often than in the environment, and foleobists who spend their entire lives in them.
Depending on the nature of the relationship between commensal species, three forms are distinguished:
· synoikia (tenancy) - one animal (commensal) uses another animal (its shell, nest, etc.) as a shelter;
· epoikia (freeloading) - one animal (commensal) attaches itself to an animal of another species or lives near it, which becomes the “host” (for example, a fish stuck with a suction cup fin is attached to the skin of sharks and other large fish, moving with their help and eating the remains of their meals);
· entoikia - some animals settle inside the cavities of others that communicate with the external environment.
Freeloading is the consumption of leftover food from the owner. Such, for example, is the relationship between lions and hyenas, picking up the remains of half-eaten food, or sharks with sticky fish
Tenancy (cohabitation) is the use by one species of another (their bodies or their homes) as a shelter or home. This type of relationship is widespread in plants.
A clear example of cohabitation is provided by some barnacles that attach to the skin of a whale. In this case, they receive an advantage - faster movement, and practically no inconvenience is caused to the whale.
Commensalism is especially common among marine animals. The relationships between some fish and sharks are well known. Pilot fish, feeding on scraps from the shark’s “table,” constantly scurry about in small schools near its nose. Another example is animals whose burrow serves as a refuge for various “guests” who feed on scraps from the owner’s table. In the burrows of mammals, nests of birds and the homes of social insects, commensal insects are represented a large number species (for example, in the burrows of the Alpine marmot there are up to 110 species of beetles).
Relationships such as commensalism play an important role in nature, as they contribute to closer cohabitation of species, more complete development of the environment and the use of food resources.
Conclusion
Symbiosis in the animal world is a common occurrence. It plays an important role in nature, as it contributes to closer coexistence of species, more complete development of the environment and the use of food resources.
In symbiosis, both partners become interdependent on each other. The degree of this interdependence can be very different: from proto-cooperation, when each of the partners can exist independently if the symbiosis is destroyed, to mutualism, when both partners are so interdependent that the removal of one of the partners leads to the inevitable death of both of them.
Such mechanisms are not uncommon in nature. A proton combines with an electron, thereby zeroing out the total electric charge the resulting hydrogen atom. Atoms of two different chemical elements merge into a molecule, combining their external electronic shells to create one common shell with a full complement of electrons. A man and a woman, being complete opposites of each other, unite into a family, which, as a rule, is much more harmonious than each of the people individually (“therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh” [Matthew 19:5-6]). In such systems, the number of interactions with outside world much less than in a disconnected state. That is, such systems are more independent from the outside world. It is the minimum of tension in relations with the outside world that distinguishes the state of harmony, that is, the most stable state, the most energetically favorable. Thus, the unification of living beings that are opposite in some respects into symbioses is a direct consequence of the principle of optimality.
Bibliography
1. www.wikipedia.org
2. www.diclib.com
3. www.dic.academic.ru
4. www.bse.sci-lib.com
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Cooperation - the usefulness of the coexistence of organisms is obvious, but their connection is not necessary. The cohabitation of hermit crabs with soft coral polyps - sea anemones is well known. Cancer settles in an empty mollusk shell and carries it along with the polyp.
Mutualism is a form of mutually beneficial cohabitation, when the presence of a partner becomes a prerequisite for the existence of each of them. One of the most famous examples Such relationships are lichens, which are cohabitations of a fungus and an algae. In lichen, fungal hyphae, entwining cells and threads of algae, form special suction processes that penetrate the cells. Through them, the fungus receives photosynthesis products formed by algae. The algae extracts water and mineral salts from the hyphae of the fungus. Cetraria centrifuga
Typical mutualism is the relationship between termites and flagellated protozoa that live in the intestines. Termites feed on wood, but they do not have digestive enzymes or cellulose. Flagellates produce such enzymes and convert fiber into simple sugars.
Without protozoa - symbionts - termites die of starvation. The flagellates themselves, in addition to a favorable climate, receive food and conditions for reproduction in the intestines of termites. Intestinal symbionts involved in the processing of rough plant feed are found in many animals: ruminants, rodents, and borers.
Mycorrhiza - cohabitation of a fungus with the roots of higher plants. The mycelium of the fungus even penetrates into the root, receiving carbohydrates from the partner plant and delivering water and mineral salts to it. Trees with mycorrhiza grow much better than without it. Different kinds mycorrhizae
Symbiosis Some species of ants feed on the sugary excrement of aphids and protect them from predators, in a word, “graze.”
Lodging An example of the transition of freeloading into closer relationships between species are the sticky fish that live in tropical and subtropical seas. Their anterior dorsal fin is transformed into a sucker. Biological meaning The attachment of the stick is to facilitate the movement and settlement of these fish.
Housing If stickies use large fish as carriers, then often the bodies of other animal species or their habitats (buildings) serve as shelters. This form of relationship is called tenancy. In the body cavity of holothurians (type Echinoderms), also called sea cucumber, various species of animals find shelter.
Types of relationships between organisms
Animals and plants, fungi and bacteria do not exist in isolation from each other, but enter into complex relationships. There are several forms of interaction between populations.
Neutralism
Cohabitation of two species in the same territory, which has neither positive nor negative consequences for them.
Under neutralism, cohabiting populations of different species do not influence each other. For example, we can say that a squirrel and a bear, a wolf and Chafer do not directly interact, although live in the same forest.
Antibiosis
When both interacting populations or one of them experience a harmful, life-suppressing influence.
Antagonistic relationships can manifest themselves as follows:
1. Competition.
A form of antibiotic relationship in which organisms compete with each other for food resources, sexual partners, shelter, light, etc.
In competition for food, the species whose individuals reproduce faster wins. Under natural conditions, competition between closely related species weakens if one of them moves to a new food source (that is, they occupy another ecological niche). For example, in winter, insectivorous birds avoid competition by different places searching for food: on tree trunks, in bushes, on stumps, on large or small branches.
Displacement of one population by another: In mixed crops of different types of clover, they coexist, but competition for light leads to a decrease in the density of each of them. Thus, competition that arises between closely related species can have two consequences: either the displacement of one species by another, or different ecological specialization of species, which makes it possible to coexist together.
Suppression of one population by another: Thus, fungi that produce antibiotics suppress the growth of microorganisms. Some plants that can grow on nitrogen-poor soils secrete substances that inhibit the activity of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria, as well as the formation of nodules in legumes. In this way, they prevent the accumulation of nitrogen in the soil and the colonization of it by species that require large amounts of it.
3. Amensalism
A form of antibiotic relationship in which one organism interacts with another and suppresses its vital activity, while it itself does not experience any negative influences from the suppressed one (for example, spruce and lower tier plants). A special case is allelopathy - the influence of one organism on another, in which external environment waste products of one organism are released, poisoning it and making it unsuitable for the life of another (common in plants).
5. Predation
This is a form of relationship in which an organism of one species uses members of another species as a food source once (by killing them).
Cannibalism is a special case of predation - killing and eating one’s own kind (found in rats, brown bears, humans).
Symbiosis
A form of relationship in which the participants benefit from cohabitation or at least do not harm each other. Symbiotic relationships also come in a variety of forms.
1. Protocooperation is a mutually beneficial, but optional coexistence of organisms, from which all participants benefit (for example, hermit crab and sea anemone).
2. Mutualism is a form of symbiotic relationship in which either one of the partners or both cannot exist without a cohabitant (for example, herbivorous ungulates and cellulose-degrading microorganisms).
Lichens are an inseparable cohabitation of fungus and algae, when the presence of a partner becomes a condition of life for each of them. The hyphae of the fungus, entwining the cells and filaments of the algae, receive substances synthesized by the algae. Algae extract water and minerals from the fungal hyphae.
Many grasses and trees develop normally only when soil fungi (mycorrhiza) settle on their roots: root hairs do not develop, and the mycelium of the fungus penetrates into the root. Plants receive water and mineral salts from the fungus, and it, in turn, organic matter.
3. Commensalism is a form of symbiotic relationship in which one of the partners benefits from cohabitation, and the other is indifferent to the presence of the first. There are two types of cohabitation:
Housing (some sea anemones and tropical fish). The fish sticks by clinging to large fish (sharks), uses them as a means of transportation and, in addition, feeds on their waste.
The use of structures and body cavities of other species as shelters is widespread. In tropical waters, some fish hide in the respiratory cavity (water lungs) of sea cucumbers (or sea cucumbers, an order of echinoderms). The fry of some fish find refuge under the umbrella of jellyfish and are protected by their stinging threads. To protect the developing offspring, fish use the durable shell of crabs or bivalves. The eggs laid on the crab's gills develop under ideal supply conditions. clean water passed through the gills of the host. Plants also use other species as habitats. These are the so-called epiphytes - plants that settle on trees. These can be algae, lichens, mosses, ferns, flowering plants. Woody plants serve as a place of attachment for them, but not as a source of nutrients.
Freeloading (large predators and scavengers). For example, hyenas follow lions, picking up the remains of their uneaten prey. There may be different spatial relationships between partners. If one partner is outside the cells of the other, they speak of ectosymbiosis, and if inside the cells, they speak of endosymbiosis.
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EXAMINATION CARD No. 4 |
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Types of nutrition of living organisms. |
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Theories of the origin of life. |
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There are two types of nutrition of living organisms: autotrophic and heterotrophic.
Autotrophs (autotrophic organisms) are organisms that use carbon dioxide as a carbon source (plants and some bacteria). In other words, these are organisms capable of creating organic substances from inorganic ones - carbon dioxide, water, mineral salts.
Heterotrophs (heterotrophic organisms) are organisms that use organic compounds (animals, fungi and most bacteria) as a carbon source. In other words, these are organisms that are not capable of creating organic substances from inorganic ones, but require ready-made organic substances.
Some living beings, depending on living conditions, are capable of both autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. Organisms with a mixed type of nutrition are called mixotrophs. Mixotrophs are organisms that can both synthesize organic substances from inorganic ones and feed on ready-made organic compounds (insectivorous plants, representatives of the euglena algae department, etc.)
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Symbiosis is the long-term cohabitation of organisms of two or more different species of plants or animals, when their relationships with each other are very close and usually mutually beneficial. Symbiosis provides these organisms better food. Thanks to symbiosis, it is easier for organisms to overcome the adverse effects of the environment.
Mutualism
Mutualism is a form of symbiosis in which the presence of each of the two species becomes obligatory for both, each of the cohabitants receives relatively equal benefits, and the partners (or one of them) cannot exist without each other.
A typical example of mutualism is the relationship between termites and flagellated protozoa that live in their intestines. Termites eat wood, but they do not have enzymes to digest cellulose. Flagellates produce such enzymes and convert fiber into sugars. Without protozoa - symbionts - termites die of starvation. In addition to a favorable microclimate, the flagellates themselves receive food and conditions for reproduction in the intestines.
An example of mutualism is the symbiosis of clown fish with sea anemones. First, the fish lightly touches the sea anemone, allowing it to sting itself and finding out the exact composition of the mucus with which the sea anemone is covered - this mucus is needed by the sea anemone so that it does not sting itself. The clown fish then reproduces this composition and can then hide from enemies among the tentacles of the sea anemone. The clown fish takes care of the sea anemone - it ventilates the water and carries away undigested food debris. The fish never move far from “their” sea anemone. Males drive males away from her, females drive away females. Territorial behavior appears to be the reason for the contrasting coloration.
Mutualism can be “hard” or “soft”. In the first case, cooperation is vital for both partners (they are connected by co-adaptation relations); in the second, the relations are more or less optional (this is called proto-cooperation).
Commensalism
Commensalism is a way of coexistence of two different species of living organisms, in which one population benefits from the relationship, while the other receives neither benefit nor harm.
Depending on the nature of the relationship between commensal species, three types are distinguished:
The commensal is limited to using the food of an organism of another species (for example, an annelid worm of the genus Nereis lives in the convolutions of the shell of a hermit crab, feeding on the remains of the cancer’s food);
A commensal attaches to an organism of another species, which becomes a “host” (for example, a fish that sticks with a suction cup fin attaches to the skin of sharks and other large fish, moving with their help);
The commensal settles in internal organs host (for example, some flagellates live in the intestines of mammals).
An example of commensalism is legumes (for example, clover) and cereals growing together on soils poor in available nitrogen compounds, but rich in potassium and phosphorus compounds. Moreover, if the cereal does not suppress the legume, then it, in turn, provides it with an additional amount of available nitrogen. But such relationships can only continue as long as the soil is poor in nitrogen and the cereals cannot grow much. If, as a result of the growth of legumes and active work Nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria accumulate in the soil a sufficient amount of nitrogen compounds available for plants; this type of relationship is replaced by competition. The result, as a rule, is the complete or partial displacement of less competitive legumes from the phytocenosis.
Another variant of commensalism: unilateral assistance of a “nanny” plant to another plant. So, birch or alder can be a nanny for spruce: they protect young spruce trees from direct sunlight, without which open place the spruce cannot grow, and also protect the seedlings of young fir trees from being squeezed out of the soil by frost. This type of relationship is typical only for young spruce plants. As a rule, when a spruce tree reaches a certain age, it begins to behave like a very strong competitor and suppresses its nannies.
Shrubs from the families Lamiaceae and Asteraceae and South American cacti have the same relationships. Possessing a special type of photosynthesis (CAM metabolism), which occurs during the day with closed stomata, young cacti become very overheated and suffer from direct sunlight. Therefore, they can only develop in the shade under the protection of drought-resistant shrubs. There are also numerous examples of symbiosis that is beneficial for one species and does not bring any benefit or harm to another species. For example, the human intestine is inhabited by many types of bacteria, the presence of which is harmless to humans. Similarly, plants called bromeliads (which include pineapple, for example) live on tree branches but get their nutrients from the air. These plants use the tree for support without depriving it of nutrients. Plants make their own nutrients rather than getting them from the air.
A type of symbiosis is endosymbiosis, when one of the partners lives inside the cell of the other.
Many animals do have strange symbiotic relationships. In simple words Symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship involving physical contact between two organisms that are not of the same species.
These relationships can be maintained to provide cleanliness, protection, transportation, and even foraging. However, sometimes there is a fine line between beneficial and harmful results of symbiosis. For now, let's look at relationships that are mutually beneficial for organisms both large and small.
10. African Starling
Scientists believe this relationship began a long time ago, as starlings' beaks seem designed specifically for penetrating deep into the thick skin of their hosts in search of food. Starlings also produce an alarm call, thereby warning other birds and their owner. However, the relationship between starlings and their owners is not always mutually beneficial.
However, starlings are not always useful. Sometimes they can let ticks through if they are not filled with blood (mainly nutrient for poultry). In these cases, the starlings will allow them to continue feeding on the hosts' skin until the mites become more attractive to the starlings.
9. Crabs and sea anemones
“Can I go for a ride, dude?” This is exactly how sea anemones approach certain types of crabs in the ocean. Sea anemones hitchhike on the backs of hermit crabs, allowing them to rise above the seafloor. When feeding, anemones use their tentacles to grab the hermit crabs' leftover food.
But what does the crab get from this relationship?
A sea anemone protects a hermit crab from hungry octopuses. With the sea anemone's spiny tentacles on its back, it becomes less attractive to predators. In addition, crabs help fight off sea creatures, in the mood to snack on sea anemone.
Interestingly, these relationships do not develop randomly. Crabs will specifically look for anemones to place on their backs. In fact, when a hermit crab changes shells, it removes the anemone with its claws and re-hooks it onto its back.
Boxer crabs also participate in a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, but their relationship is particularly interesting. The boxer crab holds the anemone in its claws like boxing gloves. Boxer crabs can use the stinging tentacles of sea anemones to protect themselves from predators, and the anemones can obtain extra bits of food that they collect around the crab's home.
A win-win for these two organisms.
8. Warthogs and mongooses
Photo: popsci.com
Returning to the African savannah, Ugandan scientists have witnessed a strange friendship between warthogs and mongooses. In Ugandan national park Queen Elizabeth (Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park) noticed that warthogs deliberately lie down on the ground if they encounter a mongoose.
Warthogs receive the cleaning service, while sharp-toothed mongooses pick insects and especially ticks from their skins. Consequently, the mongoose gets food and the warthog becomes clean. In some cases, if necessary, several mongooses at once will gnaw on the tough skin of a warthog and even climb onto a pig.
7. Cleaner fish
If the cleaner fish becomes too aggressive and bites off too much tissue or mucus, the symbiotic relationship may be terminated by the larger client fish. The most famous cleaner fish are wrasses, which live among the coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These fish often wear bright blue stripes on their bodies, making them very visible to larger fish that need cleaning.
6. Crocodile and plovers
Photo: smallscience.hbcse.tifr.res.in
African crocodiles have a unique relationship with plovers. After the meal, the crocodile crawls out to the river bank, finds a cozy place and sits with its mouth wide open. This action signals to the small bird that it can climb into the crocodile's mouth and collect the tiny pieces of food that remain in the huge reptile's teeth.
Plover help in cleaning the mouths of their huge crocodile clients. The brave bird's actions help prevent crocodile infections that raw meat can cause and remove insects that crawl on the crocodile's skin. So the tiny birds get a free meal and the crocodile gets a free dental checkup and cleaning. Not bad!
If, while snacking in the crocodile's mouth, the bird encounters or senses danger posed by another animal, the plover makes a warning call and then flies away. The plovers' cry signals the crocodile to dive into the water and escape from any potential threat.
5. Coyote and Badger
Photo: mnn.com
When coyotes and badgers work in pairs, they combine their specific hunting skills to increase the likelihood of catching prey. Yes, you read that right, coyotes and badgers hunt together!
How does this happen?
The larger coyote chases prey across prairies or grasslands. The badger, on the other hand, hides in the burrow of prey, such as ground squirrels or prairie dogs, to grab them when they return home. Thus, the coyote gets the prey if it tries to escape, and the badger grabs the prey when it tries to hide underground.
Although only one of the predators ultimately leaves with the prey, many studies of these relationships show that the joint efforts of these animals increases the chances of obtaining food for both of them. Badgers and coyotes eat the same things, so they compete with each other. However, cunning steppe dogs are not always easy to catch because they do not stray far from their own. Therefore, the badger-coyote alliance helps hunt them.
Some coyotes may form loose communities, but most are solitary because they rarely hunt in packs. Interestingly, the badger is an even loner creature, which makes its partnership with the coyote even stranger.
Research has shown that coyotes that partner with badgers catch a third more prey than coyotes that work alone. Next time you go camping, look for these two guys hanging out together.
4. Goby and click crayfish
Photo: reed.edu
It seems that on seabed The best friends are the goby and the click crayfish. As roommates, these two very different beings maintain a pure and clear symbiotic relationship. The shrimp, which do not mind living with the gobies, dig a hole while the fish guards and protects the shrimp and the hole.
Possessing excellent eyesight, the goby easily notices predators and warns the small crustacean of danger so that it can hide. Consequently, the fish and the crustacean become roommates, sharing an underwater mini-cave with each other.
Because click crayfish are mostly blind, they alert the goby when they are about to leave home to find food. Then, as they move through the water, the shrimp will touch the fish with their antennae to maintain contact. Because the click crayfish lives on the shallow seabed, it is important for it to maintain a symbiotic relationship with the goby.
Gobies have even been noted to collect algae and other food items for their crustacean roommates. The goby can also bring algae to the entrance of the burrow so that the blind crustacean can easily reach it. If danger arises, the goby flicks its tail as a warning.
In exchange for this protection, the crustaceans provide the gobies with a home. The goby also uses the safety of the burrow to seduce its partner with a special ritual that takes some time. Surprisingly, more than 100 species of gobies have been observed in symbiotic relationships with shrimp.
3. Remoras
Remora is a fish that can reach 0.30-0.90 meters in length. Oddly enough, their front dorsal fins have evolved to act as suction cups located on the top of their heads. This allows the remoras to attach themselves to the undersides of passing rays or sharks.
Sharks have also been observed protecting their remora friends in order to obtain cleaning services. Most sharks don't mind remoras. However, lemon sharks and sandbar sharks can be aggressive towards them and are sometimes eaten by them.
2. Colombian purple tarantula and spotted buzzing frog
Photo: scienceblogs.com
Perhaps one of the strangest symbiotic relationships exists between the spotted buzzing frog and the Columbian purple tarantula, both of which live in South America. The Colombian tarantula could easily kill and eat the small spotted frog, but it doesn't want to.
Instead of this big spider allows a tiny frog to share a hole with him. Both creatures engage in a mutually beneficial relationship in which it offers the frog protection from predators and the frog eats ants that may attack or eat the tarantula's eggs.
Several cases were noted when spiders grabbed frogs, but after examining them with the help of their mouthparts, they released them unharmed.
1. People and honey guides
Photo: npr.org
Our last example A symbiosis exists between an African bird known as the great honeyguide and people from an indigenous tribe in Tanzania called the Hadza. Responding to a distinct human call, the little bird leads the man to honey.
The local Hadza people use a variety of sounds to attract birds, such as calls, whistles, and even words. Just as humans make sounds to determine the location of a honey guide, the bird changes its sound to let people know when it is near a hive. Oddly enough, great honeyguides are not domesticated or formally trained.
So why does the bird go out of its way to help people?
It turns out that honeyguides, like us, love beautifully prepared food. After discovering the hive, the tribe's people climb the tree and take pieces of the honeycomb. The Hadza use smoke to smoke out bees so they can cut honeycombs out of the hive.
After this, people leave pieces of smoke-filled honeycomb for the birds to snack on. Scientists believe that the relationship between representatives African tribe and honeyguides go back thousands and perhaps millions of years. However, the unique sounds used by Aboriginal people are likely to have evolved over time and vary geographically.
