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	SYMBIOSIS: Living Together

Various symbionts on a flower crab Symbiosis In the competitive environment of the seashore, many plants and animals have established special relationships in order to enhance their chances of survival. There is an infinite variety of associations between different species of marine organisms and these vary in complexity. The term symbiosis was coined by a biologist in 1879 to describe the inter-organismal relationships involving different species. It simply means "living together". We highlight some of the more prominent and interesting ones. Examples of symbiosis on this site Mutualism Sea Anemone and Clownfish Goby and Snapping Shrimp Giant Clam Commensalism Crab and Anemone Barnacles on Crab Parasitism Pea Crab and Bivalves Parasitic Barnacles Cymothoid Isopod and Fish Bopyrid Isopod and Snapping Shrimp Three types of symbioses are generally recognised: Commensalism: neither partner profits at the expense of the other; the partners are host and commensal Mutualism: both partners benefit from the association; the partners are mutuals Parasitism: only one associate benefits, usually at the expense of the other although the death of one is rare; the members are host and parasite.

Introduction Shore environment

From A Guide to Seashore Life by Dr Leo W H Tan and Peter K L Ng Published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by BP @Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and Singapore Science Centre