Question

Explain mutualism with the help of any two examples.

Give one example of mutualism.

Answer 1

Mutualism is a kind of population interaction in which both the participating species derive a benefit from each other’s presence. Examples of mutualism are given below:

1. Associations between fungi and plants, called mycorrhizae: The plant benefits from essential soil nutrients that the fungus absorbs and transfers to the plant through its roots. The fungus, in turn, derives the benefit of receiving energy-yielding carbohydrates from the plant.
2. Pollination: Plant flowers provide sweet, mucilaginous nectar to birds or insects in return for help spreading their pollen grains onto other flowers. The plant-pollinator pair often undergoes co-evolution to safeguard against other non-useful organisms using the nectar.