All articles tagged with #mutualism
A study reveals that the fungus Escovopsis, previously thought to be a parasite of ant-associated fungi, actually originated 56.9 million years ago and may have played a more complex role in nature, evolving alongside ants over millions of years with adaptations that suggest a coevolutionary relationship rather than simple parasitism.
A new study using blackwater night-time photography reveals diverse and previously unseen interactions between fish and sea anemones, including juvenile fish using anemones for self-defense and potential mutual benefits such as dispersion, expanding our understanding of marine relationships beyond what is depicted in popular media.
Most supermarket figs are bug-free and do not contain wasps, as many fig varieties can ripen without pollination by wasps, though some wild and certain cultivated figs rely on wasps for pollination, which is part of a complex mutualistic relationship essential for the reproduction of specific fig species.
Every fig contains a hidden insect, a wasp, involved in a mutualistic relationship with the plant, where the wasp pollinates the fig and is then digested by an enzyme in the fruit, making figs a fascinating example of natural cooperation and complexity.
Videos from the Amazon reveal an unexpected friendship between ocelots and opossums, animals typically seen as predator and prey, suggesting possible mutual benefits like chemical camouflage or cooperative hunting, highlighting surprising animal behaviors captured through camera traps.
New research challenges the conventional belief that soil microbes help plants cope with drought by responding to the plants' chemical signals. A study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that free-living soil microbes are primarily looking out for themselves. The environment selects for drought-tolerant microbes, which incidentally make plants more drought-tolerant. The study highlights the need for considering no-microbe and no-plant controls in future research to better understand plant-microbe interactions.