What is the difference among parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism?
1 Answer
Mutualism is a relationship of two organisms wherein both organisms benefit from each other.
Parasitism is a relationship of two organisms wherein one organism benefit from the other with harm done.
Commensalism is a relationship of two organisms wherein one organism benefit from the other with neither harm nor benefit to the other.
Explanation:
An example of mutualism is between an oxpecker and a zebra. An oxpecker stays on top of a zebra eating ticks and other parasites which can harm the zebra. The oxpecker benefits from staying on top of the zebra since it gets food and the zebra has its parasites eaten.
An example of parasitism is the ticks in dogs. They benefit from the dogs by getting their blood which is bad for the dogs.
An example of commensalism is a spider building its web on a tree. The spider benefits from the tree by building its web on it. The tree does not benefit nor harmed.
