Mutualism vs. Commensalism

Mutualismnoun

(ecology) Any interaction between two species that benefits both; typically involves the exchange of substances or services.

Mutualismnoun

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.

Mutualismnoun

The doctrine of mutual dependence as the condition of individual and social welfare.

Mutualismnoun

the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other

Commensalismnoun

(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.

Commensalismnoun

The act of eating together; table fellowship.

Commensalismnoun

The act of eating together; table fellowship.

Commensalismnoun

the relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives benefits from the other without damaging it

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.