Question

Explain mutualism with the help of any two examples. How is it different from commensalism?

Answer 1

Mutualism explains the ecological interaction among two or more species, where each species has a net advantage. Mutualism is a shared type of ecological interaction. The long-standing biological interaction as symbiosis in which individuals of one species obtain benefits, while those species that neither gain any benefit nor are harmed is called commensalism.

Complete answer:
Most vascular plants that are engaged in mutualistic interactions with mycorrhizae, animals that are pollinating flowering plants, vascular plants being that are dispersed with the mutualistic help of animals, and corals with zooxanthellae, etc. are the most common examples of mutualism. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit from each other; amensalism, where one is harmed while the other is unaffected; and parasitism, where one is harmed and the other benefits.

Species that benefit from the other association are called commensal. It obtains nutrients, shelter, support, and locomotion from the host species which are affected substantially. In mutualism, both the species receive benefits, but in commensalism only one species receive benefits. The most common similarity is that both are symbiotic species. In mutualism, there will be a swap of nutrients with a double production, whereas, in commensalism, there is safe housing with transportation of food sources with the use of discarded material that temporarily attaches to another. The third type of symbiosis relationship is parasitism that kills the host and transfers disease by attaching physically to the host.

Note: The interaction of commensal occurs between the larger host and smaller commensal. The commensal species show greater adaptive capability that is consistent with its natural habits and the host organism shows the unmodified response. Mutualism is an ecological relationship.