Survival Relationships

Survival relationships Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism

Mutualism A symbiotic (permanent, close) relationship in which both species benefit from the interaction. Examples: plant – pollinator, plant – seed disperser, ants - aphids

Plants - Pollinator Plants are able to reproduce, pollinator receives food (nectar)

Redbilled Oxpecker Eats insects including ticks, from large wild and domesticated mammals. (Does, however, prefer blood and will feed on it directly, pecking at the mammal's wounds).

Plant – Seed Disperser Plants are able to grow and spread their population, seed dispersers get food (berries/fruit)

Ant - Aphid Ants get “honeydew” – a sugary sap left over by the aphids. Aphids receive protection.

Egyptian Plover - Crocodile Plover eats parasites that inhabit the crocodiles mouth

Commensalism A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits from the interaction, the other species neither benefits nor is harmed. Examples: Plant – seed disperser, Barnacle – other aquatic life, Cattle Egret

Plant – Seed disperser Seeds cling to animals and fall off over time. The animals are unharmed.

Barnacles – Whales Barnacles attach to aquatic creatures allowing them to move. The aquatic creatures are unharmed.

Clown fish and sea anemone

Cattle Egret - Cattle The Egret follows cattle and eats insects that are turned up in the soil. Cattle are unharmed.

Parasitism A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits while the other species is harmed by the interaction. Parasites generally live on or in the body of their host, get nourishment from their tissues, and do some harm to them. Examples: Parasitic plants, Ticks, Brown-Headed cowbirds

Mistletoe takes nutrients from host trees, can kill them with heavy infestation.

Ticks Attach to mammals, usually, but will attach to other organisms such as birds. They suck their blood and can transfer other parasites. In humans they cause Lyme disease.

Brown-headed Cowbirds Exhibit brood parasitism Brown-headed Cowbirds Exhibit brood parasitism. They remove other birds eggs, and lay their own in return

Tapeworm Hookworm Roundworm

Great Black Wasp Female stings and paralyzes prey and then deposits her eggs into the prey. The larvae feed off of the living organism until they are large enough and able to break through the skin eventually killing the host organism.