ecological symbiosis

Ecological symbiosis refers to the close, long-term interactions between different species in the environment. These relationships can be beneficial for one or both parties involved and fall into three main categories: mutualism, where both species gain; commensalism, where one benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed; and parasitism, where one benefits at the expense of the other. Examples include bees and flowers (mutualism), barnacles on whales (commensalism), and ticks on mammals (parasitism). These interactions are crucial for ecosystem balance and biodiversity.