Mutualism

 Mutualism 

Mutualism is an interspecific symbiotic relationship where both partners/ species are benefited from their interaction. 

• The term mutualism literally means "living together" and was coined by De Bary (1877).

Examples of Mutualism:

1] Termites and Trichonympha: Termites have a mutualistic relationship with endosymbiont -Trichonympha  (protozoa), a zooflagellate, that lives in the gut of termites and enables the termites to digest cellulose (the primary component of wood particles). These flagellates produce cellulase enzyme, which digests cellulose, producing by-products starch and glucose that both organisms can digest. With the help of their protist partners Trichonympha, then, the termites can eat wood. These  Trichonympha, a zooflagellate would die outside of the termite, and the termite would starve if it didn't have the endosymbionts, zooflagellate to help in wood digestion. By this, both partners are benefited from their interaction.

2] A mutualism between ants and the acacia trees, provides an excellent example of an obligate mutualism. 

•  The acacia provides a number of benefits to the ants, including shelter (hollow thorns), Ants feed on protein secreted by the beltian bodies present at the tip of leaflets of certain African Acacia trees. it also feeds on nectar secreted by nectarines found near the base of leaves. 
• In return,  The ant (Pseudomyrmex) provides several forms of protection to the acacia trees. It attacks and removes herbivorous insects, It also removes vines that might overgrow the acacia, and kills the growing shoots of nearby plants that might become competitors. It clears away leaf litter from near the plant, and since the acacia grows in a seasonally dry environment where it occasionally is threatened by fire, the ant's activities protect the tree from fire injury as easily.
  
  3] Bees and flowering plants have a mutualistic relationship: In this relation both species benefit. 

• Flowers benefit bees by providing them with all the food their colonies need, to survive. Bees feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Worker bees land on flowers and drink their nectar. The pollen sticks to the bee's hairy legs and body.   Plants cannot seek out mates the way animals do, they must rely on outside agents, called vectors, to move their genetic material from one plant to another. Such vectors include bees, certain birds, and wind.
• Flowering plants carry the male portion of their genetic material in their pollen. When bees fly from one flower to another, pollen is spread from plant to plant i.e pollination. If pollen from one flower is able to reach another flower of the same species, then that plant will be able to form seeds and reproduce.

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• Reference: Cook, Maria. "How Do Flowers & Bees Help Each Other?" sciencing.com, https://sciencing.com/do-flowers-bees-other-5796565.html. 13 February 2022.