Mutualism vs. Commensalism — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Mutualism and Commensalism
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Compare with Definitions
Mutualism
An association between two organisms of different species in which each member benefits.
Commensalism
Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit from each other; amensalism, where one is harmed while the other is unaffected; parasitism, where one is harmed and the other benefits, and parasitoidism, which is similar to parasitism but the parasitoid has a free-living state and instead of just harming its host it eventually ends up killing it.
Mutualism
(ecology) Any interaction between two species that benefits both; typically involves the exchange of substances or services.
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.
Mutualism
An economic theory and anarchist school of thought that advocates a society where each person might possess a means of production, either individually or collectively, with trade representing equivalent amounts of labor in the free market.
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Commensalism
(ecology) A sharing of the same environment by two organisms where one species benefits and the other is unaffected. An example is barnacles on whales.
Mutualism
The doctrine of mutual dependence as the condition of individual and social welfare.
Commensalism
The act of eating together; table fellowship.
Mutualism
The relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other
Commensalism
The act of eating together; table fellowship.
Commensalism
The relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives benefits from the other without damaging it
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