What is the term for a relationship in which one species benefits and the other is harmed?

What is the term for a relationship in which one species benefits and the other is harmed?

• A. Mutualism
• B. Commensalism
• C. Symbiotic
• D. Parasitism

Answer: (D)

In ecology, close interactions between organisms are described by the benefits each partner receives. When one species benefits and the other is harmed, the relationship is called parasitism. The parasite gains resources like nutrients or a habitat, while the host pays a cost, such as energy loss or weakened health. A common example is a tapeworm living in an animal’s intestines, absorbing nutrients the host would normally use. By comparison, mutualism is when both species gain, like bees getting nectar and flowers getting pollinated. Commensalism is when one benefits and the other is not helped or harmed, such as barnacles attaching to a whale with little effect on the whale. Symbiotic is a broad term for any long-term close relationship, and it can describe parasitism as well as the other types, but it doesn’t specify who benefits.

In ecology, close interactions between organisms are described by the benefits each partner receives. When one species benefits and the other is harmed, the relationship is called parasitism. The parasite gains resources like nutrients or a habitat, while the host pays a cost, such as energy loss or weakened health. A common example is a tapeworm living in an animal’s intestines, absorbing nutrients the host would normally use. By comparison, mutualism is when both species gain, like bees getting nectar and flowers getting pollinated. Commensalism is when one benefits and the other is not helped or harmed, such as barnacles attaching to a whale with little effect on the whale. Symbiotic is a broad term for any long-term close relationship, and it can describe parasitism as well as the other types, but it doesn’t specify who benefits.