symbiosis

What is symbiosis? “Sym” = together “Bio” = life “Sis” = condition Symbiosis = the condition of living together AKA: what kind of relationship organisms who live together have with each other

mutualism Both organisms benefit (+/+) Example: Birds and flowers The birds get food, and the flowers are pollinated

Parasitism One organism benefits at the dispense of another (+/-) Example: Tapeworm Lives in your intestines and eats your food, and makes you sick and takes up your nutrients

Commensalism One organism benefits, the other is unaffected (+/0) Example: Sharks and Remoras Remoras latch on to sharks and get a free ride to another area of the ocean, and the sharks don’t seem to mind

competition Both organisms are busy trying to take the other down (because they use the same resources), that they both end up losing (-/-) Example: Bacteria and Fungi Both bacteria and fungi spend energy trying to kill each other, so both end up losing energy in the process

Predator/prey (+/-) Like parasitism, but where one of the organisms is actively hunting the other as a food source. Example: Lions and Gazelles Lions hunt gazelles – the lions get food, and the gazelles die.