A wide bunch of interactions with plants, animals, and microorganisms occur in nature. Some of these
relationships are made by a close environmental association with species that obtains for a significant
period of the life cycle. In 1879 German ecologist Heinrich Anton de Bary made the word "symbiosis" to
describe these relationships, meaning the living together of different species of organisms.
An interaction is considered a symbiosis based on the closeness of the physical union among the
organisms rather than on the effect or outcome of the interaction. Symbiotic relationships span a spectrum
from beneficial to detrimental effects. Many people associate symbiosis with mutualism , interactions that
are helpful to the growth, survival, and reproduction of both interacting species. But symbiotic
mergings also include commensalism.
relationships are made by a close environmental association with species that obtains for a significant
period of the life cycle. In 1879 German ecologist Heinrich Anton de Bary made the word "symbiosis" to
describe these relationships, meaning the living together of different species of organisms.
An interaction is considered a symbiosis based on the closeness of the physical union among the
organisms rather than on the effect or outcome of the interaction. Symbiotic relationships span a spectrum
from beneficial to detrimental effects. Many people associate symbiosis with mutualism , interactions that
are helpful to the growth, survival, and reproduction of both interacting species. But symbiotic
mergings also include commensalism.
