What is the Difference Between Commensalism and Amensalism?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between commensalism and amensalism lies in the impact of the interaction on the organisms involved. Here are the key differences:
- Commensalism is a positive interaction between organisms, where one species benefits while the other remains unaffected. Examples include golden jackals following lions, epiphytic plants such as orchids, and hermit crabs living inside a dead snail shell.
- Amensalism is a negative type of interaction between organisms, where one species is harmed while the other remains unaffected. This can be observed, for example, when goats consume shrubs, which harms beetles that rely on the shrubs for food, potentially leading to the beetles being eaten by the goats as well.
In summary, commensalism is a positive interaction where one organism benefits without affecting the other, while amensalism is a negative interaction where one organism is harmed without affecting the other.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Commensalism and Amensalism? Comparative Table: Commensalism vs Amensalism
Comparative Table: Commensalism vs Amensalism
Here is a table comparing the differences between commensalism and amensalism:
Feature | Commensalism | Amensalism |
---|---|---|
Definition | A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits while the other remains unaffected | A type of interaction in which one organism is inhibited or destroyed while the other remains unaffected |
Interaction | Positive for one species, no effect on the other | Negative for one species, no effect on the other |
Examples | Golden jackal following lions, epiphytic plants such as orchids, hermit crabs living inside a dead snail shell | Goats consuming shrubs, harming beetles that lose their food source and risk being eaten by goats |
Both commensalism and amensalism are types of symbiotic relationships between species, but they differ in the impact they have on the organisms involved. In commensalism, one species benefits without affecting the other, while in amensalism, one species is harmed or inhibited without affecting the other.
Read more:
- Mutualism vs Commensalism
- Commensalism vs Parasitism
- Parasitism vs Mutualism
- Symbiosis vs Mutualism
- Saprophytes vs Parasites
- Allelopathy vs Antibiosis
- Virulence vs Pathogenicity
- Saprophytic vs Symbiotic Plants
- Parasite vs Parasitoid
- Mutualism vs Protocooperation
- Actinomycosis vs Actinobacillosis
- Insectivorous vs Symbiotic Plants
- Parasite vs Bacteria
- Amoeba vs Entamoeba
- Endosymbiont vs Endophyte
- Endosymbiosis vs Symbiosis
- Amoebiasis vs Giardiasis
- Ectomycorrhizae vs Endomycorrhizae
- Allelopathy vs Competition