Question

State whether the following statement is true or false:

Bacteria living in the human digestive tract and producing vitamins used by the human are best described as parasitic organisms.

Answer 1

This statement is false.

Explanation:

These bacteria are actually mutualistic because they provide vitamins that are beneficial to the human host, while the bacteria receive nutrition and a habitat in return. Parasitic organisms, by contrast, harm their hosts. Therefore, such bacteria are examples of mutualism, not parasitism.