Question

Explain mutualism with the help of an example.

Answer 1

The biotic component of an ecosystem interacts with each other as they are interdependent. Mutualism is the interaction between the living organism where each individual benefits from the activity of the other. It occurs between two different species. Similar interactions within a species are known as co-operation. A well-known example of mutualism is the relationship between ungulates (such as Bovines) and bacteria within their intestines. The ungulates benefit from the cellulase produced by the bacteria, which facilitates digestion; the bacteria benefit from having a stable supply of nutrients in the host environment.
Mutualism plays a key part in ecology. For example, mutualistic interactions are vital for terrestrial ecosystem function as more than 48% of land plants rely on mycorrhizal relationships with fungi to provide them with inorganic compounds and trace elements. In addition, mutualism is thought to have driven the evolution of much of the biological diversity we see, such as flower forms (important for pollination mutualisms) and co-evolution between groups of species.