Blog #1 Coral Reefs ~ Symbiotic Relationships ~ By Andrea A.

            Symbiotic is taken from a Greek word syn meaning “with” and biosis that means “living: which all together describes the long term or short term relationships between two species. Symbiotic relationship is a biological term used to describe the relationship between two or

more different species of organisms that are interdependent on each other (Alphonse, Marlene).

            There are different types of symbiotic Relationships and there are the following: Mutualism which means that both the host species and the dependent species are benefited. Commensalism is a relationship between two species of organisms where one species take advantage of the other without affecting the other. Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship where the parasite gains benefits at the expense of the host organism. Competition occurs between organisms when there are limited resources. Lastly Neutralism which is a relationship where

both the species remain unaffected (Alphonse, Marlene).

            There are many symbiotic relationships in the Coral Reefs many happen every day each minute. One examples of symbiotic relationship in the Coral Reefs is that inside the sac of each coral polyo lives a one-celled algae called zooxanthellae. The algae gives off oxygen and

the other nutrients that the coral polyp needs to live and in return the polyp gives the algae carbon dioxide and the other substances the algae needs One other example of the symbiotic relationship that happen in the coral reefs are that many of the other plants and animals that live and around the coral reef also have symbiotic relationship. Fish for example that have troublesome parasites allow other fish to pick off the parasites. This is symbiotic relationship because while the parasitic fish get's red rid of the nasty bugs the other fish who helped it gets a free meal (Ocean World).

            One example of Mutualism is when zooxanthellae benefit from the coral's waste products; the benefit for the coral is when the zooxanthellae turns the waste products into substances which help promote the coral's growth. An example of Commensalism is that some shrimp and crabs eat mucus coating, which is dead skin and parasites from the surface of corals. This helps the corals, while at the same time providing subsistence to the shrimp and crabs (Three Symbiotic

Relationships between Animals on a Coral Reef). An example of Endoparasitism relationship is the pearl fish and the sea cucumbers.  The pearl fish is a type of mesoparasite. It detects chemicals given off by the sea cucumber and enters the sea cucumber when it participates in gas exchange and breaths in water. The sea cucumber attempts to eject the pearl fish by expelling most of their digestive tract out through their anus. This can be detrimental for the sea cucumber (Symbiosis on the Coral Reef).

            These are a few symbiotic relationships that happen in the Coral Reef but there are many more of them. Some of these relationships are done because of the coral reefs, so if the reefs are no more, most of these relationships will disappear because of the reefs not being there.

 Works Cited

Alphonse, Marlene. "Symbiotic Relationships Examples." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

"CORAL REEF SYMBIOSIS - Coral Reefs - Ocean World." Welcome to OceanWorld - Bringing the Ocean to the Classroom. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

"Google Images." Google. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

"Symbiosis on the Coral Reefs (final)." Hays Cummins' Home Page: Ecology, Marine Biology,     Coral Reefs & Rainforests, Weather, Other Courses, Vita. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

"Three Symbiotic Relationships between Animals on a Coral Reef? - Yahoo!7 Answers." Yahoo!7 Answers - Ask Questions & Get Answers On Any Topic! Web. 14 Apr. 2011.