Mutualisms and symbiosis Flashcards
Definition of symbiosis
Species live in persistent intimate association, which may be harmful (parasitic) or beneficial (mutualistic)
Are mutualisms symbiotic or non-symbiotic?
They can be both
What can mutualisms help to underpin?
Important functions that shape ecological communities
Mycorrhizae and plants mutualisms
Root tips and fungal intimately associated, penetrate plant and both gain resources
- fungus gains sugars, plants gain nutrients
Cellulose digesting microbes
Occurs in guts of organisms, allows hots to digest cellulose that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to
What are mutualisms based on?
Reciprocal trades in costly resources
What is co-evolution?
- one adaptation causes adaptations in other organisms
- dramatic co-evolution as a result of mutualisms
What is context dependent?
Mutualisms
Dependent on environment - if environment changes, benefits could be lost
What is parasitism?
An interaction in which a symbiont (parasite) derives benefit from a host to the host’s cost
What are endoparasites?
- complex life cycle
- associated with ensuring transmission between hosts
What are ectoparasites?
Hook worms/tics/fleas
What are parasitoids?
Insects lay eggs inside the larvae of host species then feed their offspring
How can parasites increase their chance of transmission?
They can alter host behaviour and morphology
