Mutualism: What It Is, Characteristics And Examples
Among living beings we can find several types of interspecific relationships, that is, interactions in which members of two or more species are involved. Predation, cooperation, parasitism and commensalism are some well-known examples of these types of interactions.
Today we are going to talk about mutualism, an interaction in which the two species involved always benefit To understand it in greater depth, we will also see some interesting examples of mutualism that occur between animals, plants, fungi and other forms of life.
Mutualism is a type of interspecies relationship in which two or more individuals involved obtain mutual benefit through an advantageous association This type of bond does not cause harm to either and causes both organisms involved to see their biological fitness increased, that is, they have a greater capacity for survival and reproduction.
This type of interspecific relationship can be seen as a kind of barter or biological exchange, in which each species offers and receives something. Depending on what is given and what is earned, we can classify mutualistic relationships as follows.
1. Resource-resource relationships
In this type of relationship, two species exchange some type of substance or biological resource essential for both which implies that this relationship causes each species to receive a material gain.
2. Service-natural resource relationships
In the service-natural resource mutualism there is the exchange of some produced resource, offered by one of the two species, while the other contributes to the relationship by offering some action or conduct beneficial to the other.
3. Service-service relationships
Service-service mutualism is less frequent. It consists of the two associated species exchange some type of behavior or performance that benefits both of them.
Differences with other interspecific relationships between living beings
Sometimes it happens that when talking about mutualism this It is confused with other interspecific relationships, especially with commensalism and cooperation As a brief clarification, we are going to briefly describe the rest of the interspecific relationships to understand how they differ from mutualism.
Parasitism
In parasitism we have an organism that feeds on another, causing some damage but not killing it Here one benefits while the other is harmed.
Commensalism
Commensalism occurs when one species benefits from the relationship, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed
Predation
Predation occurs when one species preys on another That is, one benefits by being able to feed on another form of life, ending his life.
Competence
Competition is the situation in which two different species depend on the same resources and must fight for one to obtain such resources.
Cooperation
In cooperation the two species benefit each other, but They can survive perfectly separately This differs from mutualism, because in mutualistic relationships both species depend on the other for their survival.
Some examples of mutualism
Next we are going to see a few examples of mutualistic behaviors in living beings.
1. Mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and the roots of land plants In this interspecific relationship, the fungus receives carbohydrates and vitamins that it cannot synthesize by itself, since it is a heterotrophic organism that cannot produce its own organic matter.
Plants are autotrophic, that is, they can manufacture organic matter, but to do so they require certain nutrients, minerals and water that, conveniently, fungi can offer.
Mycorrhiza is a mutualistic relationship that is essential for the survival of plants because It is estimated that about 95% of terrestrial plant species depend on fungi to obtain certain inorganic nutrients This is a resource-resource mutualism, since both plants and fungi receive nutrients.
2. Pollination
Pollination is essential for the reproduction of many plants. Is about a mutualistic relationship between an animal and an angiosperm plant Angiosperm plants have flowers with stamens, which are male reproductive organs, and carpels, female reproductive organs. Flowers with stamens are those that have pollen, particles that must reach other flowers to achieve plant reproduction.
Many animals contribute to pollination, especially insects such as bees, ants and butterflies , although birds and mammals also participate, including bats. This mutualistic relationship is of the service-resource type, since animals perform the pollination service while plants offer the nectar of their flowers as a resource, the main attraction for animals to go to their flowers and soak up pollen.
3. Anemone and clownfish
The sea anemone (order Actiniaria) is an animal that looks like a flower. This organism, a cousin of jellyfish and corals, produces actinoportins, toxic substances with a paralyzing effect. Despite its toxic capacity, the clownfish (subfamily Amphiprioninae), a very striking animal of red, yellow, orange, white and black, gets along very well with this cnidarian.
Each species of clownfish is associated with different species of anemones. These fish are immune to actinoportins, so they can move freely between the tentacles of the sea anemone and even use it as a refuge , source of food and protection against larger fish. Anemones benefit from having these fish as hosts because they eliminate their parasites. This is a service-service relationship.
4. Acacia and ant
The bull horn or ergot (Acacia cornigera) is a shrub that can reach 10 meters in height that has large hollow thorns similar to bovine horns. Among its trunks live ants that feed on the sugars that the plant secretes
The presence of ants is beneficial for the plant because they repel herbivorous animals that may eat its shoots. Added to this, the ants feed on the plants that grow around the bull’s horn, eliminating competitors for resources, water, soil, sun and nutrients that the acacia might have. This is a service-resource relationship.
5. Lizard and scorpion
Saharan spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx geyri) hide in burrows that they dig to protect themselves from the sun and predators. This reptile lives together with the thick-tailed scorpion (Androctonus australis), who shelters in exchange for the fact that, if a predator gets into the burrow, the arachnid poisons it with its painful bite.
The mutualistic relationship between ants and aphids is well known. Aphids (family Aphididae) are parasites of angiosperm plants, as they harm them by making small holes in the leaves where they suck the sap. However, its relationship with ants is mutualistic, since both species benefit.
You could say that Ants treat aphids like cattle The ants approach these insects, which are much smaller than themselves, and rub them with their antennae. When this happens, the aphid secretes honeydew, a substance that ants love. Aphids benefit from the presence of ants because it protects them from other species.
7. Morena and red shrimp
Moray eels (family Muraenidae) are carnivorous fish with large, sharp teeth that live in the crevices of the deep sea. These intimidating animals have the problem that they cannot maintain their oral hygiene on their own, so they cannot clean their teeth after eating. They are helped in this task by the red shrimp, with whom they share a burrow. Prawns clean moray eels’ teeth in exchange for their protection
8. Toad and tarantula
We have a curious case of mutualism with toads and tarantulas. Specifically, the narrow-mouthed toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis), an animal that lays its eggs in a burrow. The relationship is that the toad allows the tarantula to live in its burrow, receiving protection from the arachnid For the spider, being in the burrow helps it to be protected from parasites and the toad protects its eggs.
9. Egrets and buffaloes
The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a pelecaniform bird. This animal follows zebras, antelopes, wildebeests and buffalos to remove parasites, small animals that the bird feeds on Thus, the bird obtains its food while helping various animals to stay clean and not contract diseases due to these parasites.
10. Hippos and birds
Similar to the cattle egret, many other birds perch on large animals to eat their parasites, including hippos. These animals benefit from the birds because they keep them clean, while the birds not only feed but, being on very intimidating animals, None of the bird predators approach when they are on top of the hippos s.
