Symbiotic Relationships
There are many different types of symbiotic relatonships. Here they are:
Mutualism Relationship
Form of Mutualism Relationship
A mutualism relationship is just that- it is a relationship that is mutual. Each species in the relationship benefit. Have you ever wondered why those birds are in the crocodiles' mouth? Well, the birds' name is the Egyptian Plover and they are in the crocodiles' because they are eating the leftover bits and pieces of food stuck between the crocodiles' teeth. So the bird eats, and the crocodile get it's teeth cleaned.
Commensalism Relationship
Form of Commensalism Relationship
A commensalism relationship is a relationship where one species benefits while the other is unaffected. An example would be, while in the Tropics, the tropical orchid grows on a tree branch to face the sun in the right direction. The orchid is benefiting and the tree is unaffected.
Parasitism Relationship
Form of Parasitism Relationship
A parasitism relationship is relationship where one specie benefits while the other is harmed. An example would be the Botfly. The Botfly burrows inside the creature's skin. On average, it spends about one-half of it's life inside the host's body and then crawls out and flies away. The host will end up with a wound that gives severe pain and may later get infected. The Botfly benefits and the host is harmed.
Amensalism Relationship
Form of Amensalism Relationship
An amensalism relationship is a relationship where one species is harmed while the other is unaffected. Imagine an animal walking towards the pond for a drink. On it's way, it tramples over some plants. The plants suffer and animal is unaffected. Just remember, in everyday human lives, we continuously harm other life forms without getting hurt ourselves.
Competition Relationship
Form of Competition Relationship
A competition relationship is a relationship that turns out for the worst. It happens when two species compete against each other, but end up harming one another. An example would be a boxing match. They try to over-do each other, but end up hurting themselves.
Mimicry
Mimicry has the meaning of itself right inside the word. It is a relationship when one species copies, or mimics, the other specie's colours, patterns, or behaviors. There are two types of mimicry, aggressive mimicry and batesian mimicry. Aggressive mimicry is used when the species is wanting to get closer to unsuspecting prey. Batesian mimicry is used when the species is wanting to gain more protection by imitating a predator or poisonous animal. An example of mimicry is when the snake eel mimics the banded sea snake to make prey think that it is more dangerous than itself so it backs off. Thats is an example of batesian mimicry.
Neutralism Relationship
A neutralism relationship is a relationship where both species are unaffected. Technically, this wouldn't be a symbiotic relationship because each species would have to interact with one another. Without any interaction, it can't be a relationship.
