Commensalism Definition, Examples, and Relationships

Commensalism Definition, Examples, and Relationships Commensalism is a type of relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it. A commensal species benefits from another species by obtaining locomotion, shelter, food, or support from the host species, which (for the most part) neither benefits nor is harmed. Commensalism ranges from brief interactions between species to life-long symbiosis. Commensalism Definition The term was coined in 1876 by Belgian paleontologist and zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, along with the term mutualism. Beneden initially applied the word to describe the activity of carcass-eating animals that followed predators to eat their waste food. The word commensalism comes from the Latin word commensalis, which means sharing a table. Commensalism is most often discussed in the fields of ecology and biology, although the term extends to other sciences. Terms Related to Commensalism Commensalism is often confused with related words: Mutualism - Mutualism is a  relationship in which two organisms benefit from each other. Amensalism - A relationship in which one organism is harmed while the other is not affected. Parasitism - A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed. Theres often debate about whether a particular relationship is an example of commensalism or another type of interaction. For example, some scientists consider the relationship between people and gut bacteria to be an example of commensalism, while others believe it is mutualistic because humans may gain a benefit from the relationship. Examples of Commensalism Remora fish have a disk on their heads that makes them able to attach to larger animals, such as sharks, mantas, and whales. When the larger animal feeds, the remora detaches itself to eat the extra food.Nurse plants are larger plants that offer protection to seedlings from the weather and herbivores, giving them an opportunity to grow.Tree frogs use plants as protection.Golden jackals, once they have been expelled from a pack, will trail a tiger to feed on the remains of its kills.Goby fish live on other sea animals, changing color to blend in with the host, thus gaining protection from predators.Cattle egrets eat the insects stirred up by cattle when they are grazing. The cattle are unaffected, while the birds gain food.The burdock plant produces spiny seeds that cling to the fur of animals or clothing of humans. The plants rely on this method of seed dispersal for reproduction, while the animals are unaffected. Types of Commensalism (With Examples) Inquilinism - In inquilinism, one organism uses another for permanent housing. An example is a bird that lives in a tree hole. Sometimes epiphytic plants growing on trees are considered iniquilism, while others might consider this to be a parasitic relationship because the epiphyte might weaken the tree or take nutrients that would otherwise go to the host. Metabiosis - Metabiosis is a commensalistic relationship in which one organism forms a habitat for another. An example is a hermit crab, which uses a shell from a dead gastropod for protection. Another example would be maggots living on a dead organism. Phoresy - In phoresy, one animal attaches to another for transport. This type of commensalism is most often seen in arthropods, such as mites living on insects. Other examples include anemone attachment to hermit crab shells, pseudoscorpions living on mammals, and millipedes traveling on birds. Phoresy may be either obligate or facultative. Microbiota - Microbiota are commensal organisms that form communities within a host organism. An example is the bacterial flora found on human skin. Scientists disagree on whether microbiota is truly a type of commensalism. In the case of skin flora, for example, there is evidence the bacteria confer some protection on the host (which would be mutualism). Domesticated Animals and Commensalism Domestic dogs, cats, and other animals appear to have started out with commensal relationships with humans. In the case of the dog, DNA evidence indicates dogs associated themselves with people before humans switched from hunting-gathering to agriculture. Its believed the ancestors of dogs followed hunters to eat remains of carcasses. Over time, the relationship became mutualistic, where humans also benefited from the relationship, gaining defense from other predators and assistance tracking and killing prey. As the relationship changed, so did the characteristics of dogs. Reference:  Larson G (2012). Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109: 8878–83.

The Main Types of Chemical Bonds

The Main Types of Chemical Bonds Atoms are the basic building blocks of all types of matter. Atoms link to other atoms through chemicals bonds resulting from the strong attractive forces that exist between the atoms. A chemical bond is a region that forms when electrons from different atoms interact with each other. The electrons that participate in chemical bonds are the valence electrons, which are the electrons found in an atoms outermost shell. When two atoms approach each other these outer electrons interact. Electrons repel each other, yet they are attracted to the protons within atoms. The interplay of forces results in some atoms forming bonds with each other and sticking together. Main Types of Chemical Bonds The two main types of bonds formed between atoms are ionic bonds and covalent bonds. An ionic bond is formed when one atom accepts or donates one or more of its valence electrons to another atom. A covalent bond is formed when atoms share valence electrons. The atoms do not always share the electrons equally, so a polar covalent bond may be the result. When electrons are shared by two metallic atoms a metallic bond may be formed. In a covalent bond, electrons are shared between two atoms. The electrons that participate in metallic bonds may be shared between any of the metal atoms in the region. Predict Type of Chemical Bond Based on Electronegativity If the electronegativity values of two atoms are similar: Metallic bonds form between two metal atoms.Covalent bonds form between two non-metal atoms. Nonpolar covalent bonds form when the electronegativity values are very similar, while polar covalent bonds form when the electronegativity values are a little further apart. If the electronegativity values of two atoms are different, ionic bonds are formed.

Critique about Authors and Their Way of Expressing Information Using Research Paper

Critique about Authors and Their Way of Expressing Information Using Surveys about Knowledgeable Consumer - Research Paper Example Some customers who have prior knowledge about a certain product or service seem to take less time when purchasing that product or service (Oliver, 2010). This prior knowledge was got from former purchases or reading about the said product or service. This research was based on consumers of strawberries. The authors had the following objectives when deciding to conduct the research; To identify who the direct strawberry customers were, To evaluate the major factors that guided consumers on making purchase decisions. To compare the intentions of consumers to the actual purchases made, To determine how effective advertising relates to the choices made by consumers, and To recommend any changes to the managers, so as to improve on their marketing programs. Methodology The survey was conducted by various companies among them; The North Carolina Department of Agriculture. The survey was conducted at eight different operations during the 1999 Spring. The companies conducting the research de cided to divide the research into two sections. One section of the survey was conducted when consumers arrived to purchase the strawberries. There are those customers who preferred to pick the strawberries themselves while others bought the already picked ones. This part of the survey was intended to highlight the purchase expectations of the customer, and their experiences when picking strawberries. The other segment of the survey was conducted when customers left the operation. The intention of this second segment of the survey was to find out the actual purchases made by the customers and what contributed to the customers purchasing what they purchased. This survey comprised of about 1647 respondents (Safley, Wohlgenant, & Suter, 1999). From the research conducted, it emerged that two third of the respondents had come to the strawberry operation before, while a third had not come to the place before. It also emerged that about two-thirds of those who opted to pick the strawberrie s before had prior knowledge concerning that.

It's up to paper comments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

It's up to paper comments - Essay Example The sentence that â€Å" I write for myself† is therefore a clear expression of the intention a writer often set for herself when she starts writing and projecting what is internal to her and only materialize through her imaginative thinking. This paper will therefore attempt to present an Stylistic analysis of the above mentioned piece of writing and will discuss as to how Amy Tan was successful in using stylistic tools such as lexis, syntax etc. From the contextual perspective this piece of writing clearly establishes as to how to write and how a writer shall clearly tackle her emotions and memories at the time of writing. It is clear that the Amy Tan writes for herself but the overall style and context within which the writing is done indicate the way a good writer shall always relate to her audience. For example, Tan mentions that she like the peculiarities of the language therefore she writes in a manner so as to understand what life really is all about. The confession that she don’t know much about the life itself indicate the relative intellectual thirst of the writer with which the overall thoughts and emotions are portrayed on the piece of paper to craft a perfect paper. The above quotation indicates the use of four as a symbol by Amy Tan in one of her works and refers to the way she associate it with different aspects of life. The use of word four is also can be considered as one of the motifs as it is used repeatedly and in some particular sense. Amy Tan however, consider the use of symbols not in their Jungian sense but rather they basically offer a clue to some of the hidden meanings. Amy writes: â€Å"To me, Symbols are stand-ins for abstract ideas. They belong to the High School of Hidden Meanings.† (Tan). This also indicates that the overall style of Tan, like her most of her work, is direct and often reflects the writer’s overall digression from established literary facts and conventions. (Chan and

Religion and Theology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Religion and Theology - Research Paper Example Therefore, this essay has the intention of discussing the existing beliefs of Christianity and those of Buddhism and they differ. Additionally, the paper will attempt to determine the inherent factors that influence afterlife in both religions such as soul is to Christianity and the mind to Buddhism. Alternatively, it is essential to note that while Christians believe in the existence of one God who defines matters of afterlife; Buddhists do not harbor such beliefs. However, the same Buddhist believes that the power of humanity lies in the purity of their minds whereby enlightenment is attained. There are various differences between Christianity and Buddhism on the context of their beliefs in the soul and afterlife. However, it is imperative to discuss the individual beliefs of Christianity and Buddhism in respect to how the soul relates with the existence of a person after he/she is dead. The basic Christian beliefs entail the belief that only one God exists (Bloom, 2012). This is b acked by the writings of the bible from the books of John, Corinthians, and Galatians among others. Similarly, most Christians believe God is in form on a Trinity. In other words, there is God the Father, the Son and God the Holy Spirit or Holy Grail. On the same note, a deep belief in Christianity maintains that God has the omnipotent power or is extremely powerful and hence is control of the entire universe. This is supported by the verse in the book of Psalm 115:3 among other biblical books. For the record, Christianity makes the allusion their God is the all powerful God. Furthermore, God is present everywhere or has omnipresence autonomy according basic Christian beliefs. There is also the element of sovereignty in the belief of Christians suggesting an element of a Supreme Being who is in control (Masih, 2000). Apart from the aforementioned elements of God, Christians also have an inherent belief in the existence of an afterlife. In the same aspect, Christians have a deep beli ef that a place called exists where sinners who have not repented are banished. Other basic beliefs of Christianity believe that God is true, God is love and God is the overall creator of all that lives among others. On the other hand, there are also basic Buddhism beliefs. For example, Buddhism follows the path of other beliefs in the context that it has its divisions. This suggests that it also shares the conventional set of the significant beliefs. On that aspect, one of the fundamental beliefs inherent with Buddhism is called reincarnation (Moreman, 2010). This entails the concept that there is rebirth of people after their death. In other words, the religion maintains that people go through phases of birth, living and rebirth. On that note, there are religious differences between the concepts of reincarnation and rebirth on the context of Buddhism. For example, in reincarnation, a person may appear many times in different forms after death while in rebirth, an individual does n ot have to return to the earth. In other words, the entity of the person does not return to the earth again. This comparison is usually done to a leaf growing on tree. There is always an eventual replacement of a withered leaf that has fallen off. Alternatively, there is a similarity to an old leaf but not the same as the original leaf. It is after many phases whereby an individual exudes the attachment of self and desire and the stage of Nirvana is reached (Steinfels, 2009). It is also a state of freedom from suffering and liberation. In that prospect, there are three practices or trainings of Buddhism. They include Sila that mean morality, good conduct or

Marking dissertation proposla Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Telemarketing in the Hong Kong Insurance Industry - Essay Example Due to the market liberalization that was engulfing the insurance sector in the region during the 1990s, many foreigners have ventured into insurance and the reinsurance business. It is imperative to note that many of the companies that moved into Hong Kong were mainly from the West, especially from the UK as well as the United States of America. As it was expected, this created an environment within this market or sector that was largely characterized by heightened competition as presented by Clutterbuck. As a result, it became apparent that companies within this industry needed to explore other marketing modes if they were to remain in the business and competitively impact on it. Hence, it is against this backdrop that telemarketing should be construed as a feasible option to help in the option of market amongst the various players within this industry. Telemarketing is a form of reaching the ‘would be’ clients by telephone according to Rosenzweig, and Boone and David. Why is it important? – Why is it the important topic to investigate from a theoretical and/or practical perspective? State how the dissertation will help your personal development objectives; career development objectives; your organization’s objectives (where appropriate) and meet the Henley objectives.   It is every business entity’s drive to increase its profit earnings. To achieve this, a business organization needs to conduct an exhaustive study of its surrounding environment and get information on how operations are executed. On the other hand, the business environment is quite dynamic. In this regard, operating businesses, irrespective of their line of operation, need to take into account these aspects.

Understand the key features of the theories of motivation in a team Essay

Understand the key features of the theories of motivation in a team (LEADERSHIP) - Essay Example which workers get motivated is through; use of inspirational posters and participating in team building activities especially when the leaders take part with the team members (Heinrichs 2013, P. 211). As such, the team building activities enhances cohesiveness among team members. The essay seeks to discuss an understanding of key features of the motivational theories through an effective leadership. There are many causes of dissatisfaction among members of a team at a place of work. Among the major causes of dissatisfaction is being underpaid. Whenever a member of a team or an employee feels that he is underpaid, he will get dissatisfied and hence gets less motivated. A less motivated employee is less productive and, as a result, compromising the overall performance of the organization. Poor management is another cause of dissatisfaction among team members. Most members of a team want to be led by someone they look up to as a role model. When this is lacking, members under this leadership are likely to be less motivated. In certain occasions, lack of interest can also be a possible cause of dissatisfaction among members of a team. Without interest, dissatisfaction follows and finally, the general performance of the company (Lepak & Gowan 2010, P. 77). To some, the lack of career growth can cause dissatisfaction among members of a team. The members will then get withdrawn from w ork and the resultant outcome is a compromise of the performance of an organization. To develop a team, a leader can employ a number of techniques with an aim of motivating his workers. However, if workers are not motivated, their performance may go down. Therefore, motivation is an essential component in the enhancement of performance. Though, team leaders or managers need to motivate employees as frequent as possible through a number of ways. First, the team leader should be proactive to build the required skills in order to work efficiently in the achievement of the set target (Tracy