Question

On the African plain, large herbivores like black rhinoceros disturb insect communities as they move. Birds like cattle egret feeds on the displaced insects. Neither the displacement of insects nor the activity of birds has any effect on the rhino. Oxpecker (a small dark bird) removes ticks from the skin of the rhino. The bird gets food and the mammals get relief from parasites.
Match the alphabets with the relationship that the organisms possess among themselves and then write only appropriate number in the space against each alphabet.


(1) Predation (2) Parasitism
(3) Commensalism (4) Amensalism
(5) Mutualism (6) Competition

• A. $\text{A}\to 5,\text{B}\to 1,\text{C}\to 3,\text{D}\to 2,\text{E}\to 4,\text{F}\to 1$
• B. $\text{A}\to 1,\text{B}\to 5,\text{C}\to 4,\text{D}\to 1,\text{E}\to 3,\text{F}\to 2$
• C. $\text{A}\to 3,\text{B}\to 2,\text{C}\to 1,\text{D}\to 4,\text{E}\to 1,\text{F}\to 5$
• D. $\text{A}\to 2,\text{B}\to 1,\text{C}\to 3,\text{D}\to 1,\text{E}\to 4,\text{F}\to 5$

Answer 1

The correct option is B $\text{A}\to 1,\text{B}\to 5,\text{C}\to 4,\text{D}\to 1,\text{E}\to 3,\text{F}\to 2$

Ticks present on rhino, sucks blood from rhino as parasite but oxpecker on rhino consumes ticks by killing (i.e., mutualism). But, the relation between ticks and oxpecker is predation. Then, rhino during movement, crush the vegetation hence insects become visible to egrets and are eaten up by them. Hence, relation of egret with insect is predation while that of egret with rhino is commensalism. But, the relation between rhino and insects is amensalism.

A: Ticks and oxpecker - Predation
B: Oxpecker and rhino - Mutualism
C: Rhino and insects - Amensalism
D: Insects and cattle egret - Predation
E: Cattle egret and rhino - Commensalism
F: Rhino and ticks - Parasitism