Question

If cattle egrets removed ticks from the cape buffalo, would their relationship still be considered commensalism?

Answer 1

Commensalism is the type of relationship in which one organism gets the benefit from the second, but the second gets neither harmed nor benefitted. Here, one is dependent on the other for nutrition.

Complete Answer:
If cattle egrets removed the ticks from the cape buffalo, their relationship would still not be commensal; in fact, now they are mutually related. Cattle egrets follow the buffalo in herds and they eat the insects stirred on the buffalo as they move. Here, buffalo get neither harmed nor benefitted but the birds get food to eat.

While the cattle egrets remove the ticks from the cape buffalo then their relationship becomes mutualism, as ticks can act as parasites for buffalo and can infect them. Ticks can transfer the parasites into the host buffalo blood and make them sick. Now by eating or removing the ticks off of the Cape buffalo, both the organisms got benefitted, cattle egrets get the food and buffalo get rid of the parasitic ticks.

The relationship is not still considered as commensals but they are now showing mutualism as egrets get the food source and cape buffalo have fewer ticks, therefore, fewer chances of parasitic infections.

Note:
Mutualism could be a close relationship where both parties benefit. Both species like the relation and plenty of those relationships are long-lasting. Commensalism may be a style of relationship where one among the organisms benefits greatly from the symbiosis. The opposite is not helped but isn't harmed or damaged from the connection. In other words, this is often a one-sided symbiotic relationship.