When defining the relationships established between the different species of living beings, we define a series of concepts that allow us to classify and study them. Perhaps the best known by the general public are competition, parasitism or symbiosis, but there are others such as dmentaryism, mutualism or Amensalism that are usually known by people more specialized in those areas. In this ecology article, we will define What is Amensalism and some examples of it.
What is Amensalism: Definition
Amensalism, also known as antagonismis the biological interactionthat is, among living beings, in which one of the members involved does not experience any alteration but prevents the development and survival of the other. In other words, the Relationship of Amensalism It takes place when a smaller or weak species establishes an interaction with another stronger or stronger species in which it is harmed, while the dominant does not warn the existence of the other. Amensalism is important to study chains or trophic relationships within ecosystems, such as relations between predator and prey. It also helps to understand the impacts of pests on agriculture or the growth of certain plants and species of that environment.
Normally, the way in which Amensalism or antagonism takes place is that of the production of toxic substances by one of the members involved and that prevents other populations from developing or subsisting while these are around them. This interaction is very common within microorganisms.
As soon as an organism occupies a habitat, its survival instinct makes it possible to do our best because other species fail to subsist or cannot live there. This interaction is not defined as positive for the body, rather neutral and harmful to the species that are displaced.
In this other ecology article, we talk to you widely about interspecific relationships: types and examples.
Difference between Amensalism and Competition
Frequently, some relationships between species can be confused with others by their resemblance and this may be the case between Amensalism and competition. The competition It is a biological interaction in which a fight between two agencies to obtain the same resourcesthat both need to meet their needs.
Therefore, competition is a relationship in which the convenience of an organism necessarily implies the damage of the other, while In Amensalism one of the organisms does not take any benefit from the actionthat is, it can be neutral or harmful to the body that is displaced.
Amensalism: Examples
They can be identified Amensalism relationships In all groups of living beings. Let’s look at some like examples of Amensalism:
Fungus
As fungi do not perform photosynthesis, they must absorb simple and soluble nutrients in the environment. Because these nutrients are absorbed by the fungi of the environment, they are no longer available for other populations, therefore, they can compromise the existence of other species in the middle.
When a fungus interacts with another species, it can secrete a chemical component of its metabolism that harms the other species. This happens, for example, in the fungus Penicilium Notatumwhich secrets a substance capable of destroying many bacteria, penicillin. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming and is one of the most used antibiotics in the world. The relationship that establishes this fungus with the bacteria that inhibits is of Amensalism.
Floors
Among the plants, an example of the relationship of amensalism is that of the American black walnut (Juglans Nigra), that you will see in the image below, that produces a toxin known as Juglona and that avoids the growth of other plants around it. This substance deprives other energy plants that they need for photosynthesis and long produce their death, thus reducing competition for survival. The Juglona occurs mainly in the Capults, Roots and Helmets of the fruits.
There are planktonic algae that release a toxic substance, forming red points in the ocean and that cause the death of marine animals or the pine leaves fallen to the ground, which release a substance that avoids the germination of the seeds of other plants.
Animals
For example, some wild pigs when they are transferred to other habitats eat all nutrients in their path and excrete their waste to wetlands, rivers or soils, contaminating them and producing the death of many species and damages in agriculture. Another clear example, occurred when the rabbits were introduced in Australia for the hunters, and it turns out that they ended up becoming a plague that hinders the existence of other species. Another habitual example is when animals trample the herbs without using them at all, in many cases killing them.
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