Ecology And Behavior Codexery

Mutualism (biology)

Ecological interaction where each species has a net benefit.

Mutualism is an ecological interaction where each participating species gains a net benefit.[1] Mutualism is often confused with cooperation and symbiosis, though these terms have distinct meanings.[1] In his 1876 work Animal Parasites and Messmates, Pierre-Joseph van Beneden defined the term "mutualism" as "mutual aid among species".[2]

Quick Facts

Term introduced by
Pierre-Joseph van Beneden
Field
Ecology
Type
Ecological interaction
Contrasted with
  • Interspecific competition
  • exploitation
  • parasitism

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

About 80% of land plant species rely on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi for inorganic compounds and trace elements.[3] In mycorrhizal associations, the plant provides carbohydrates to the fungus in return for phosphate and nitrogenous compounds.[4] The microbiota in the human intestine coevolved with humans and is considered a mutualism beneficial to both host and bacteria.[5] Interactions that start with unequal benefits, like parasitism, can develop into mutualism over time.[6]

Parasitism or commensalism can sometimes be the starting point from which mutualistic symbiosis evolves.[7] Leguminous plants (family Fabaceae) receive fixed nitrogen from rhizobia bacteria, which in turn obtain energy-containing carbohydrates from the plants.[8] A plant provides nectar or pollen as food resources, and in exchange receives pollen dispersal services from pollinators.[9]

What the research sources say

The Biology LibreTexts notes that limited theory has been developed to mechanistically explain evolutionary transitions from antagonism to mutualism.[10] Models of virulence predict evolution toward mutualism in cases of parasitism where host fidelity is high and alternate hosts are few.[10] Reciprocal evolutionary responses are likely important to the evolution of symbiotic mutualisms, and subsequent diversification may result from improved niche width or population size.[10] Coevolution is not the exclusive mechanism for the emergence of these mutualisms and may not even be the primary one.[10]

The obligate pollinating seed-predation mutualisms of yucca and yucca moth, as well as fig and fig wasps, are thought to result from coevolutionary diversification because the close association may hinder species from switching to new partners.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bronstein, "Mutualism", Oxford University Press, 2015, p. 3–19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Animal Parasites and Messmates", Henry S. King, 1876; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wang, "Phylogenetic distribution and evolution of mycorrhizas in land plants", Mycorrhiza, 2006, p. 299–363; Jordano, "Seeds: the ecology of regeneration in plant communities", CABI, 2000, p. 125–166; Thompson, "The geographic mosaic of coevolution", University of Chicago Press, 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ollerton, J. 2006. "Biological Barter": Interactions of Specialization Compared across Different Mutualisms. pp. 411–435 in: Waser, N.M. & Ollerton, J. (Eds) Pl (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Host-bacterial mutualism in the human intestine", Science, March 2005, p. 1915–20; "The Role of Gut Barrier Dysfunction and Microbiome Dysbiosis in Colorectal Cancer Development", Front Oncol, 2021; "Minireview: Gut microbiota: the neglected endocrine organ", Mol Endocrinol, August 2014, p. 1221–38; "The Role of Gut Barrier Dysfunction and Microbiome Dysbiosis in Colorectal Cancer Development", Front Oncol, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Classify symbiotic relationships", 7th grade science; "Yale researchers show that mutualism can come from parasitism", 6 February 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Purin, "Parasitism of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: reviewing the evidence", FEMS Microbiology Letters, February 2008, p. 8–14; Pevner, "Yale researchers show that mutualism can come from parasitism", Yale Daily News, February 6, 2018; Titus, "Phylogenetic relationships among the clownfish-hosting sea anemones", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, October 2019; Litsios, "Mutualism with sea anemones triggered the adaptive radiation of clownfishes", BMC Evolutionary Biology, December 2012, p. 212; "17.3: Evolution of Mutualisms", B en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Denison, "Why are most rhizobia beneficial to their plant hosts, rather than parasitic", Microbes and Infection, 2004, p. 1235–9; Schink, "Synergistic interactions in the microbial world", Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 2002-12-01, p. 257–261; Chacón, "The Ecology and Evolution of Model Microbial Mutualisms", Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 2021-11-02, p. 363–384 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Mutualism (biology)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: See also Attractant related to synomone; and references therein; Tan, "Mutual reproductive benefits between a wild orchid, Bulbophyllum patens, and Bactrocera fruit flies via a floral synomone", Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2000, p. 533–546 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "17.3: Evolution of Mutualisms", Biology LibreTexts}}{{full, January 2025. facts only, no text reused. bio.libretexts.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mutualism (biology) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Niche constructionOmnivoreParasitismPersonal groomingPredationPrimary productionR/K selection theorySeed dispersalSexual selectionShoaling and schoolingSocialitySociobiology

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