Hello! My name is Dr. Sym and I am a scientist who studies symbiotic relationships.

With so many things living on earth they are bound to interact with each other.

These interactions are called symbiotic relationships. Symbiotic relationships involve more than one type of species.

There are five different types of symbiotic relationships. Let's take a closer look!

Mutualism is a relationship where both species benefit from each other.

Like here in the forest a bee and a flower have a mutualism relationship. The bee takes the pollen from the flower and is able to make honey. While the flower uses the bee to pollinate the flowers around it so new flowers can grow. Both species in this relationship benefit from each other!

Commensalism is a relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Like here in the ocean a shark and a Remora fish have a commensalism relationship. The Remora attaches itself to the shark without harming it. The Remora fish gets protection and scraps to eat from the shark. The shark neither benefits or is harmed by the Remora. Here only one species benefits!

Parasitism is a relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed.