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Community Interactions: Mutualism (+/+) & Commensalism (+/0) definitions

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  • Mutualism

    A relationship where both interacting organisms gain benefits, sometimes essential for their survival.
  • Commensalism

    A relationship where one organism benefits while the other experiences no significant effect.
  • Obligate Mutualism

    A partnership in which both organisms rely on each other for long-term survival.
  • Symbiosis

    A close and prolonged association between two species, which can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful.
  • Exploitation

    An interaction where one organism benefits at the expense of another, including predation, herbivory, and parasitism.
  • Competition

    A relationship where all involved organisms experience reduced fitness due to shared resource use.
  • Fitness

    A measure of an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.
  • Predation

    A form of exploitation where one organism consumes another for nourishment.
  • Herbivory

    A type of exploitation involving consumption of plant material by an animal.
  • Parasitism

    A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is harmed.
  • Resource Partitioning

    A process where competing species use resources differently to minimize competition.
  • Character Displacement

    A phenomenon where differences among similar species are accentuated in regions where they co-occur.
  • Competitive Exclusion

    A principle stating that two species competing for identical resources cannot coexist indefinitely.
  • Niche Overlap

    A situation where two species utilize the same resources or habitat, leading to competition.