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#commensalism

19 public questions tagged with this topic.

Remora fish attaching to sharks for food and transport shows:

A remora gains transportation and access to food by attaching to a shark with a modified dorsal-fin suction disc. It may consume scraps from the shark’s meals and exploit feeding opportunities encountered during travel. In the traditional interpretation, the remora benefits while the shark experiences little measurable effect, giving the (+, 0) sign pattern of commensalism. The remora does not normally extract host tissue like a parasite, and reciprocal benefit is not required as in mutualism. Some remoras remove ectoparasites or clean wounds, which could benefit the shark and shift particular

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 8-13

Which type of commensalism describes birds nesting in trees?

Inquilinism is a form of commensalism in which one species uses another organism, its body, or its constructed space as shelter or a place to live without significantly harming it. A bird nesting in a tree gains support and a protected site for eggs and young, while the tree is ordinarily treated as unaffected. Phoresy would require the tree to transport the bird, and metabiosis usually involves using a structure or environmental modification after its producer has finished with it, such as a hermit crab occupying an abandoned snail shell. Parasitism would require a net cost to the tree caused

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 8-13