EVERYDAY SCIENCE

SCIENCE

ECOLOGY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
An acacia tree secretes nectar that ants eat. The tree also has hollow thorns where ant larvae live. The ants protect the tree. Which of the following terms best represents this situation?
A
parasitism
B
commensalism
C
mutualism
D
competition
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -These acacia trees and the ants that live in them have a symbiotic relationship called a mutualism.

Detailed explanation-2: -In the 1960s, University of Pennsylvania biologist Dan Janzen re-described what has become a classic example of biological mutualism: the relationship between acacia-ants and ant-acacia trees.

Detailed explanation-3: -The mutualistic association between acacia plants and the ants that live on them is an excellent example: The plants provide food and accommodation in the form of food bodies and nectar as well as hollow thorns which can be used as nests. The ants return this favour by protecting the plants against herbivores.

Detailed explanation-4: -Which of the following three interactions are mutualism? III. Ants and acacias: acacia plants develop hollow thorns that provide shelter for ant colonies and procude nectaries on their leaves that provide food for ants.

Detailed explanation-5: -A mutualistic relationship is when both organisms benefit. The fungi will combine their mycelium with the tree’s roots. As a result, the fungi make it easier for the trees to get more nutrients and moisture from the soil and the fungi get access to sugars from the trees.

There is 1 question to complete.