Question

List five words that come to your mind when you think about symbiosis and why

Answer 1

Before enlisting the five words that come to my mind when I think of symbiosis I would like to discuss about what is symbiosis.

INTRODUCTION

Symbiosis can be defined as close biological interactions/relationships between two biological organisms. The biological organisms involved can be of similar or different species. The associations can be of various forms and can be classified based on various factors.

HISTORY : The term symbiosis has been used since time infinite to explain the associations between people living together. In 1877 this term was used again to explain the biological interactions between organisms other than humans. It was used to explain the mutualistic relationship in lichens by Albert Bernhard Frank. It was later explained as “Unlike organisms living together” by the german mycologists Heinrich Anton de Bary in 1879.

The best fit words that come to my mind when I think of symbiosis includes :

1. Biological associations : Symbiosis includes the relationships between organisms whether beneficial or harmful.
2. Inter & Intra-Species Associations : Symbiosis might involve associations between similar or different species.
3. Ecological-Balance: Symbiosis associations are communal in the entire ecosystem. It involves varied associations in different organisms. It acts as an important factor to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. For example : Associations such as mutualism help maintain the balance in the ecosystem.
4. Food-Chain Stabilizer : Symbiosis also acts as a stabilizer and plays important role to maintain the food chain and food web stability as associations such as Parasitism, Amensalism and predator-prey relationships help maintains several food chains and food webs.
5. Adaptation impetus for survival : Symbiosis can be explained as an important adaptation that has dwelled in the organisms with time . It is important for survival in some cases For example : Association between the gut microbe and the cow explains the need for survival for the micobes of the gut as they find the gut conducive environment for surviving.