Question

Suggest an experiment to study any mutualistic relationship

ecology

Answer 1

Mutualism:

Mutualism or mutualistic relationship is   the ecological interaction between two or more species where both species has a net benefit. Mutualism is a common type of ecological interaction. Prominent examples include most vascular plants engaged in mutualistic interactions with mycorrhizae, flowering plants being pollinated by animals, vascular plants being dispersed by animals, and corals with zooxanthellae etc. Mutualism can be contrasted with interspecific competition, in which each species experiences reduced fitness, and exploitation, or parasitism, in which one species benefits at the "expense" of the other. Organisms live in mutualistic relationships for a number of important reasons, including a need for shelter, protection, and nutrition, as well as for reproductive purposes.

Humans also live in symbioses of various intensities with a number of domesticated animals and plants. To varying degrees, these cultural symbioses are mutualistic, with both humans and the other species benefitting. For example, all important agricultural plants exist in tight mutualisms with humans.

A lichen is an organism that results from a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism. The other organism is usually a cyanobacterium or green alga. The fungus grows around the bacterial or algal cells. The fungus benefits from the constant supply of food produced by the photosynthesizer.

Lichen is an another good example of mutualism.Lichen is a symbiotic association of fungi and algane.we know that fungi cannot perform photosynthesis,they are absorbing food from other organisms.Here fungi provides shelter for algae and algae produce food by performing photosynthesis.Hence both the species have benefits