**1. Types of Symbiotic Relationships:**
– Symbiosis refers to the interaction between two different species living in close physical association.
– Mutualism benefits both species involved.
– Commensalism benefits one species without affecting the other.
– Parasitism benefits one species at the expense of the other.
– Amensalism is when one species is harmed while the other is unaffected.
**2. Examples and Ecological Importance of Symbiosis:**
– Clownfish and sea anemones have a mutualistic relationship.
– Barnacles and whales have a commensalistic relationship.
– Tapeworms and their hosts exhibit parasitism.
– Symbiosis contributes to ecosystem stability and enhances nutrient cycling.
– Some symbiotic interactions are crucial for host survival and can influence species diversity.
**3. Evolutionary Significance and Research on Symbiosis:**
– Endosymbiotic theory explains the origin of eukaryotic cells.
– Symbiosis played a role in the evolution of nitrogen fixation and mimetic resemblances.
– Studies on lichen thalli, coral photosymbiosis, and cleaning symbiosis highlight ecological importance.
– Investigations on symbiotic nitrogen fixation and eukaryotic evolution provide insights into evolutionary processes.
**4. Co-evolution and Evolutionary Concepts in Symbiosis:**
– Symbiosis is a key selective force in evolution, impacting phenotypic diversity.
– Co-evolution involves intricate relationships between organisms.
– The hologenome theory links the holobiont and symbionts’ genomes, influencing development.
– Symbiogenesis, co-evolutionary relationships, and symbiotic associations among microorganisms and hosts impact evolution.
**5. Marine Environments and Scientific Publications on Symbiosis:**
– Cleaning symbiosis involving sharks and cyanobacteria symbioses in marine environments.
– Evolutionary concepts like the hologenome concept and fungal phylum Glomeromycota.
– Scientific publications by Lynn Margulis, Bert Hölldobler, and Edward O. Wilson on symbiosis.
– Research studies on cleaning symbiosis, hologenome concept, RNA viruses diversity, Glomeromycota phylogeny, and endobiotic rugosan symbionts.
Symbiosis (from Greek συμβίωσις, symbíōsis, "living with, companionship, camaraderie", from σύν, sýn, "together", and βίωσις, bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two biological organisms of different species, termed symbionts, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic. In 1879, Heinrich Anton de Bary defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms". The term is sometimes used in the more restricted sense of a mutually beneficial interaction in which both symbionts contribute to each other's support.
Symbiosis can be obligatory, which means that one or more of the symbionts depend on each other for survival, or facultative (optional), when they can generally live independently.
Symbiosis is also classified by physical attachment. When symbionts form a single body it is called conjunctive symbiosis, while all other arrangements are called disjunctive symbiosis. When one organism lives on the surface of another, such as head lice on humans, it is called ectosymbiosis; when one partner lives inside the tissues of another, such as Symbiodinium within coral, it is termed endosymbiosis.