Mutualism: definition and examples

The Definition of mutualism appears described within studies focused on ecological relationships or biological interactions between different species, being described as that Positive interaction for both parties or species that interact. That is, mutualism is based on relationships of mutual benefitsometimes simplified with symbols (+,+).

These interactions of mutualism are based on mutualist networks of great heterogeneity, since the vast majority of the species that constitute the ecosystems frequently interact with other species, thus establishing connections of great amplitude between species, more numerous connections even than those that could be expected if they were given in a random way.

In the next sections we will see the types of mutualism that exist, as well as several Examples of mutual interactions that occur in natural ecological systems, to better understand this type of interspecific relationship. We also recommend that you take a look at this other Ecology post about interspecific relationships: types and examples.

As we have seen in the previous section, the Mutualist relations They occur between sets of species that interact with each other. These relationships have a certain asymmetry and vulnerability depending on whether they are the general or specialist species when participating in mutualism. Based on this, they are distinguished Two types of mutualism fundamental:

• Optional mutualism: The species that interact are more generalist and do not depend exclusively on these interactions for their survival.
• Oblual Mutualism: Species need to interact necessarily to survive, being also very specialist species, that is, they base their interactions of mutualism on very specific species on which they depend.

Among the groups of living beings that frequently use mutualism relations as a survival strategy, plants stand out. These organisms need to have stable connections with other living beings that allow them, for example, to guarantee their seed pollination and dispersion processes for their correct reproduction and subsequent survival. Let’s see some list some concrete examples of mutualism relations that are often given in nature:

• Mutualist relationships between frugivorous and nectarivorous plants and birds (such as toucans and hummingbirds), which facilitate the pollination and dispersion of seeds.
• Mammals, mainly herbivores and omnivorous, which eat fruits of plants and create mutualism relationships by disperse later in their excrement the seeds that had been inside the fruit.
• Mutual interactions between plant flowers and their pollinatorsthe vast majority, pollinating insects.
• Mutualism systems between ants and plantsin which plants provide food and shelter to ants and they defend them of possible herbivorous predators, such as the curious case of ants living in the acacias of the savannas, which attack giraffes and other herbivorous animals that feed on the scarce leaves of the acacias.

As we have seen throughout the article, in mutualism, both species that participate in the interaction They get a benefit. To obtain it, most of the species that interact with each other are able to survive regardless of whether or not they have said mutualism. However, there are some species in which occur Extreme obliged mutualisms in which the participating species depend on each other to survive. In the latter case, we would talk about symbiosisas a specific case of obligatory mutualism led to its maximum extreme dependency between species to survive.

This is the striking case of lichens, constituted by algae and fungi of specific species that, during symbiosis, achieve the necessary energy for their survival through the “cast” of the biological functions that both organisms need. Here you can know what symbiosis with examples is.

Within the interspecific relationships that occur in nature, Mutualism and dinerism They are the most abundant. On the one hand, many are the species that opt ​​for Mutualism (+,+) to obtain benefits in both parties, while in other cases, Commentaryism (+, 0) It allows one species to benefit while the other does not obtain any repercussion, neither positive nor negative.

To better understand the difference between both types of biological interactions, let’s think, for example, in the case mentioned above of plants pollination, where the pollinizer obtains food and the plant guarantees its reproduction (+,+), which is mutualism. On the other hand, when the birds build their nests in the trees and shrubs, commitment relationships are given in which the birds obtain shelter (+) but the trees do not obtain any benefit or damage (0), in terms of ecological relationships.

In this other article you can see more about what dinerism is: definition and examples.

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