Example 9: Ants and acacia tree – the Acacia tree provides the ants with food and nesting sites in its giant thorns. The ants defend the

tree from other insects.

Example 4: Gemsbok antelope and zebra are utilizing the same pond

for water

Example 10: Honeybee and yellow buttercup – the bee pollinates the

flower while getting nutrients from the nectar.

Example 11: African rhinos and African oxpeckers – the oxpecker bird

feeds off ticks and pests on the rhino

Example 12: Crocodile and Egyptian Plover – the crocodile allows the

plover to feed off leftover food stuck in its teeth

Example 1: The clownfish and the anemone – the clownfish cleans the anemone and the anemone protects the fish.

Example 5: Wolves and coyotes – Wolves and coyotes surround an elk in Yellowstone in a hunt for food

Example 4: Gemsbok antelopes and zebra are utilizing the same pond

for water

Example 13: Lions, hyena and vultures Rush to the site of a zebra carcass

Example 6: Lion and hyena; A lion chases a hyena on the African savannah

Example 7: Wolves and elk; Two wolves share the carcass of an Elk

Example 8: Coneflowers, Blackeyed Susans and Daisies grow together in the field in Southern Illinois

Example 16: Filarial worms and humans : The worms are transmitted to Humans by mosquitos; they cause a blockage in

the Lymphatic System, resulting in swelling of the limbs

Example 20: Cowbirds and song birds; Cowbirds they have adapted by laying their eggs in other birds' nests. The cowbird will watch for when its host lays eggs, and when the nest is left unattended, the female will come in and lay its own eggs. The host bird will care and feed the cowbird young preferentially over its own offspring. If the cowbird egg is removed, the female cowbird may destroy the host's eggs

Example 2. Humans and mosquitos: Mosquitos bite humans to get food, and humans are harmed by blood loss, itching and disease

Example 17: The brown bear in Alaska catch salmon as they swim up

stream to spawn

Example 15: The arctic fox carries a squirrel to its den to share with its young

Example 14: The human tape worm attaches to the walls of the intestine and absorbs nutrients through its skin

Example 21: The wasps of the genus Glyptapanteles inject their eggs into living caterpillars. The larvae mature, feeding on the caterpillar’s

fluids before gnawing through its skin and emerging into the light of day. Not only does the caterpillar survive—initially at

least—but the larvae mind-control it, turning their host into a bodyguard that protects them as they spin their cocoons and finish maturing. The caterpillar eventually starves to death, but only after

the tiny wasps emerge from their cocoons and fly away.

Example 19: Horsehair worm and crickets; The adult hairworm is aquatic but in many species the worm develops

inside land-loving insects. To ensure it does not dry up when it escapes from the innards of its host, the hairworm is able to tamper with the cricket’s brain and persuade it to seek out water, where the

adult worm can escape and reproduce. The cricket drowns.

Example 22: Cattle egret and cattle; Cattle Egret forages at the feet of

grazing cattle to pick at insects that the cattle rustle up from the grass. It forages alongside camels, ostriches, rhinos, and tortoises —as well as farmers’ tractors. The cattle do not eat the insects.

Example 18: Dodder is a common leafless vine.

It also called Devil's Hair, strangleweed, and bellbind. It lacks the ability to make its own chlorophyll,

so it attaches itself to other plants to steal theirs.

Example 23. Pilot fish and sharks: The pilot fish congregates

around sharks, rays, and sea turtles, where it eats external parasites, and leftover food scraps from the host species

Example 24: Bromeliads and trees; Bromeliads grow upon certain woody plants. It draws its nutrients from the atmosphere, not from the host tree or shrub. There is little data to support any benefits or

harm to the host plant.

Example 3. Whale and barnacle: The barnacle attaches to the whale and gets a habitat and free ride to a new food source; the whale is

not harmed

Commensalism (+/0)

an association between two organisms

in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.

Predation (+/-)

a biological interaction where a

predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is

attacked).

Parasitism (+/-)

a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species,

the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.

Mutualism (+/+)

Symbiotic relationship that is beneficial

to both organisms involved.

Symbiosis (+/+) or (+/0) or (+/-)

Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical

association

Competition (-/-)

individuals of different species

compete for the same resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living space)