Symbiotic Relationships

Mutualism Birds eat bugs (get lunch) rhino gets bugs removed.

This wonderful underwater scene was captured at Bunaken in the Philippines. This Magnificent Sea Anemone has commensal fish, crabs and shrimps associated with it - like many anthozoans serving as a partner in symbiotic relationships with other reef organisms. In this picture a Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) can be seen nestling in its tentacles

Clown fish and Anemone

Bee and Flower Mutualism- bee gets nectar (food) plant gets pollen (sperm) transferred to other flowers to fertilize eggs. (makes seeds)

Remora fish have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with sharks and other larger sea animals

Ant /plant interaction (mutualism) The plant offers nesting spaM space and nectar for the an ant. The ant cleans the plant.

parasitism Maculinea larvae dropped from their host plants after a certain age and were picked up by and brought to the nests of Myrmica ant species where they subsequently fed on ant larvae. Although all species of Myrmica will pick up Maculinea larvae indiscriminately - larvae produce sugar to attract ants and then use tactile signals and acquired scents to mimic ant larvae - larval survival is increased substantially in the nests of Myrmica sabuleti. Survival in an ants' nest depends on the nest being of sufficient size to support a hungry Maculinea to maturity and a larva being able to continually dupe the host ants into accepting it, which is easier with some ant species than others.

Cycad root nodules (mutualism) Nodules make nitrogen available to cycad. Cycad provide food for fungal nodules.

Cleaner shrimp cleaning a zebra moray eel Cleaner shrimp cleaning a zebra moray eel. Mutualistic relationships such as these promote the well-being of the host fishes and provide food for those that do the cleaning.

Parasitic wasp laying eggs on in a caterpillar

Lichen (mutualism)

Lichen diagram

The shoot grows upwards until it touches the stem of another plant The shoot grows upwards until it touches the stem of another plant. When this contact has been made, the stem of the dodder continues to grow upwards by spiralling around the host's stem. Special root-like structures grow from the stem of the dodder into the stem of the host. The root-like structures penetrate the host's tissues until they reach the vessels which carry the sugars through the host plant.

Mistletoe (Parasitism) Puts its roots into the vascular system of host plant and absorbs sugar from host.

Tape worm life cycle (parasitism)

Plasmodium/ malaria life cycle Parasitism

Borrelia burgdorferi  This bacterial species can reside in the stomach of Deer ticks. It is transmitted through the blood and is the cause of Lyme's disease. The two species have a mutualistic relationship. It is parasitic to humans.

Vibrio fischeri (mutualism) A. fischeri have symbiotic relationships with several marine animals. The most prolific of these relationships is with the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes). A. fischeri inhabit photophores in the mantle of the Hawaiian bobtail squid. A. fischeri cells in the ocean inoculate the light organs of juvenile squid and fish. Ciliated cells within the light organs selectively draw in the symbiotic bacteria. These cells promote the growth of the symbionts and actively reject any competitors. The bacteria cause these cells to die off once the light organ is sufficiently colonized. The light organs of certain squid contain reflective plates that intensify and direct the light produced, due to proteins known as reflectins. They regulate the light to keep the squid from casting a shadow on moonlit nights, for example. Sepiolid squid expel 90% of the symbiotic bacteria in their light organ each morning in a process known as "venting". Venting is thought to provide the free-living inoculum source for newly hatched squid

Mycobacterium leprae (parasitism) M. leprae causes leprosy (Hansen's disease). It is an intracellular parasite, taking up residence in Schwann cells where, in due course, it triggers an autoimmune attack on them that leads to their destruction. The resulting loss of sensation makes it difficult to avoid injury to the extremities. It is treatable today but historically people infected were forced to live in colonies away from cities.