commensalism

IPA/kəˈmensəlɪzəm/
IPA/kəˈmensəlɪzəm/

commensalism — noun

1. a biological arrangement between two living things where one species gains food,

1.名詞C1
釋義

a biological arrangement between two living things where one species gains food, shelter, or another benefit by living near or on the other, while the second species receives neither help nor harm from the interaction

例句

Barnacles on a whale show commensalism — one species gets a home, the other is unaffected.

commensalism + be + example with contrastive clauses

A remora fish eats scraps near a shark, getting a meal without harming it.

one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed

同義詞
  • mutualism

    a different relationship where both species benefit from the interaction, not just one

  • symbiosis

    a broader term covering all close, long-term relationships between different species, including commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism

反義詞
  • parasitism

    where one species benefits and the other is harmed, unlike commensalism where the second is unaffected

文法句型

commensalism + between + [plural noun phrase]

[noun phrase] + is a form/example of + commensalism

用法筆記

Uncountable noun in most contexts; commonly appears with 'between' to describe the two species involved. In ecology writing, use this term only when you can demonstrate the second species suffers no measurable effect — distinguishing it from mutualism (both benefit) and parasitism (one is harmed).

常見錯誤

❌Birds nesting in a tree show commensalism because the bird gets a benefit.
✅Birds nesting in a tree show commensalism because only the bird gets a benefit while the tree is not helped or harmed.
💡Commensalism requires specifying that the second species is unaffected, not just that one species gains something.