Examples of SYMBISOSIS in animals

Organisms, both animals and plants, that inhabit the same ecosystem they are not staticInstead, they establish relationships with each other. These relationships are classified according to various aspects, such as the cost / benefit of each individual participant of the relationship or the degree of dependency between the participants, and are studied by a branch called ecology.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we will focus specifically on one of these relationships, symbiosis, and look at different examples of symbiosis between animals. If you want to know more about symbiosis, keep reading!

Index

1. What is symbiosis?
2. What are the types of symbiosis?
3. Examples of symbiosis in animals
4. Endosymbiotic theory

Among the relationships between animal species, symbiosis is a form of close relationship between individuals of different species where each of the individuals involved make a profit, which can be protection against environmental factors or predators, obtaining nutrients, etc.

Each of the participants in this relationship is called symbiotes and they can occur among animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. A differential factor that distinguishes symbiosis from other types of relationships in which both participants are benefited, It is the close dependence of one organism with the other and vice versa, being in many cases this symbiosis necessary for survival of the participating individuals.

On many occasions, symbiotic relationships act as a important evolutionary factor in which individuals find new forms of life that are more suitable and that in the long term can modify the behaviors of individuals of their own species.

Some authors consider that, although the relationship is detrimental for some of the individuals, it is still a symbiotic relationship (there is some debate about the term symbiosis), as in the case of the mosquito and the human. When one of the participating individuals is much larger than the other, the smaller one is called the host and the host.

Symbiotic relationships were observed in nature many years ago, but it was the German botanist Heinrich Anton de Bary who coined the term symbiosis when studying the relationships between fungi and algae (lichens), which comes from the Greek and means 'means of subsistence'.

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Contrary to what people think, the term symbiosis It is quite broad and there are various types of symbiotic relationships, depending on the physical location of the relationship, its duration, its transmission or receptivity.

According to the physical place in which the relationship is established

Depending on the physical site occupied by the beings involved, they are classified as ectosymbiosis, when one of the individuals lives on the body on the other, being in its fur, on its skin or even in its mouth, endosymbiosis, when the host is inside the host's body (inquilinism) or within their organs and cells, or metabiosis, when one of the individuals uses the physical remains of the other's body as tool.

Depending on the duration of the symbiotic relationship

Depending on the duration of the symbiotic relationship between individuals, we can speak of temporary symbiosis, when It is a relationship of limited time, and permanent symbiosis, when it occurs throughout the life of the individuals. Permanent symbioses are so durable because they are generally indispensable to the lives of their participants.

Depending on the transmission of the host between the hosts

Depending on the transmission of the host between the hosts, we can speak of vertical transmission symbiosis, if the descendants of the individuals inherit the relationship between the parents, or horizontal transmission, if both individuals acquire the relationship of the environment in which they live.

Depending on the receptivity of the host of the relationship

According to the receptivity of the host, that is, when we consider the beneficiaries and losers of the symbiotic relationship, we differentiate three kinds of symbiosis (in the definition of symbiosis in the sense large):

1. Mutualism: symbiotic relationship in which both participants are benefited.
2. Parasitism: In this type of symbiosis, one of the participants benefits from the relationship, while the other participant is harmed.
3. Commensalism: In this type of symbiotic relationship, one of the participants is benefited by the relationship, while the other participant is not affected either for better or for worse. Commensalism can be by scavengers, when an individual feeds on the wastes of the another, or phoresis, when one of the individuals uses the other as protection or as a simple means of transport.

As we mentioned, the term symbiosis is subject to some debate and some authors consider the symbiosis in a broad sense, which includes other relationships between species, which we will mention here. Symbiotic relationships in animals are divided into:

Examples of mutualism

Mutualism is a relationship in which both participants benefit. In animals we observe the following:

• Bees or hummingbirds have developed symbiotic relationships with some species of plants, in which the insect or bird It feeds on the sweet nectar of the flowers, while for the plant it plays a very important role in the dispersal of pollen.
• The hermit crab and some species of sea anemones establish symbiotic relationships in which the crab obtains the protection of the tentacles stinging that the anemone possesses, and it takes advantage of the crab's greater movement capacity, which offers it greater availability of food.
• Some species of prawns or crustaceans establish relationships with some types of fish, where they remain as ectoparasites on the scales and on the skin of the fish, doing cleaning tasks, while they obtain food.
• A much closer symbiotic relationship exists between sea anemones and clown fish, who reach the point of cohabiting together, where the fish gets the protection of the predators thanks to the stinging tentacles that the anemone possesses, and it takes advantage of the defense of the territory made by the fish, protecting it from species that could devour it.
• Corals and algae establish symbiotic relationships in which corals obtain food and oxygen produced by the algae, while the algae get waste products from the coral, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide. nitrogen. This symbiotic relationship allows corals to thrive in oxygen-poor environments.

Examples of commensalism

In this relationship, one of the participants benefits, while for the other the relationship is neutral. In animals we observe the following examples:

• Remoras attach themselves to the body of certain sharks to get around. Some mites do the same with certain hymenoptera species that have wings to fly.
• Vultures and some other animals that are scavengers such as hyenas, tend to coexist with large predators such as large African felines, so that when they hunt a prey, scavengers take advantage by feeding on the leftovers of these hunts.
• Hermit crabs frequently use dead snail shells that they find in their environment, taking advantage of the protection and camouflage that these shells give against predators.
• Some species of birds and insects use tree branches to build their homes (such as nests or combs). This is a commensal relationship, as the animal benefits, while the tree is not harmed.
• The earthworms in their movement create channels that facilitate the irrigation and oxygenation of the roots of the plants.

Examples of parasitism

In this type of relationship, one of the participants is benefited, while the other is harmed. Some examples that are observed in nature are:

• Female mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects, such as bed bugs, need to suck blood from other animals to raise their eggs and with their bites they harm the animals or transmit them diseases.
• There are several species of fungi and yeasts that grow on the hair, nails or skin of animals such as fish, birds or mammals such as humans, feeding on keratin and causing skin damage or diseases more serious.
• Some types of intestinal parasites such as nematodes or protozoa and bacteria can invade the intestine or other organs of various animals and reproduce, taking advantage of their organism and causing them hurt.
• Some species of bird leave their eggs in the nest of other species so that they are raised as part of the offspring of the other species.
• There are certain species of wasps and flies that lay their eggs inside or on the skin of others. animals, so that when the larvae hatch they behave as a parasite of the animal and feed on their coast. In the case of the growth of fly larvae, one speaks of myiasis.

One of the most important examples that exist to understand how crucial symbiotic relationships are in evolution is found in the origin of the eukaryotic cells of the animals.

The endosymbiotic theory is a widely accepted theory that describes the origin of eukaryotic cells from successive symbiotic incorporations from different free-living prokaryotic cells (such as aerobic bacteria and archaebacteria).

These symbioses were the origin of eukaryotic cells with chloroplasts (organelles that allow photosynthesis in eukaryotic cells plants) and mitochondria (organelles that allow cellular respiration and energy production in eukaryotic cells, both animals and vegetables).

It is for this reason that the study of symbiotic relationships has become a scientific discipline in recent years, as it would help us understand the species evolution and many of the relationships that occur in nature.

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Hickman, C. P. (2009). Comprehensive principles of zoology (14a. ed. --.). Madrid: McGraw-Hill.