In the context of biology, symbiosis is the relationship that exists between two organisms that lead a common life. Usually one of the two species obtains a greater benefit during the relationship. In addition, the interaction is only between two specific species, they can be animals, plants or microorganisms. For example, there is symbiosis between a wasp and a fig tree, since without the larva of the wasp the fig tree cannot produce figs.
There are several species in the animal world that have symbiosis with plants, for example, hummingbirds only have an exclusive relationship with certain flowers. Also, these flowers ensure that the pollen carried by the hummingbird are useful for them.
The symbiosis has different types, everything will depend on the physical interaction of the participants.
- Endosymbiosis: it is when an individual lives inside another, to the point of being inside the cells, as well as the algae that lives inside the fungus.
- Ectosymbiosis: this occurs when between species there is no entry of one into another, as happens with bees and flowers.
On the other hand, there is parasitism, which is within the symbiosis, since it is a close relationship many times between two specific species. For example, it happens with lice and humans that have adapted and specialized in such a way that they exclusively parasitize individuals of the human species. It is due to the fact of a relationship in which one species, that is, lice, could not live without humans.
