Interesting symbiotic relationships
Symbiosis – living together
We all know what Symbiosis means. It has many different forms, but the main ones are: Mutualism, Commensalism and Parasitism (although there are some discussions among scientists concerning the last two forms).
Anyway, I am not going to argue with them and shall include in this list photos depicting any kind of long-term interaction between two or more species.
Sometimes the symbiosis is not so obvious and I would miss some examples. Please help me to create this list together adding respective remarks to the description of photos you upload.
No doubt, it will be of mutual benefit. (Wow, Mutualism!!!)
Jivko Nakev created this list 11 years ago
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Birch polypore -
Large brown tree fungi in dutch forest -
Orange Ganoderma applanatum on living tree in dutch forest - side view -
A trekkies dream: the mutual symbiant -
![Lichen of the slowest pace [HDR] My first go at HDR: 3 pictures shot at 100ISO and long exposure times, plus and minus 2 EV, 13sec, 2.5sec,30sec). It's reindeer lichen, a very slow growing lichen eaten by mainly Reindeer/Caribou.
This lichen I found while hiking up in Norway with my wife. It is highly protected and it is absolutely forbidden to break off. This loose piece photographed here I found on the ground in a swamp, it was partially eaten. I did not have to break it off, only pick it up, so I was kinda in the clear.
I did not know the reason for it having such a protected state. Years later I read about their very very slow growth rate.
Reindeer lichen is slow growing (only 3–5 mm per year) and may take decades to return once overgrazed, burned, trampled, or otherwise consumed. This piece is about 4cm in radius, so about 10 years old. I did not know that..
This piece is about 10 years in my possession now, residing in one of our book shelves. It is battered a bit, discoloured too. I'll have to make due. Cladonia rangiferina,Geotagged,HDR,Norway,macro,reindeer lichen,soligor 36mm](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/240/4837_small.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=1SER2D9Fjj0vuOLlaRTWN8kfH2Q%3D)
Lichen of the slowest pace [HDR] -
Sunburst -
Common orange lichen -
Tree lichen -
Leaf Wars IV -
Leaf Wars II -
Antler like lichen - Oakmoss -
![carpenter ants Carpenter ants are large (.25 to 1 in/0.64 to 2.5 cm) ants indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. They do not eat it, however, unlike termites.[1] Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States is the black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus). However, there are over a thousand other species in the genus Camponotus. Animal,Black carpenter ant,Camponotus pennsylvanicus,ant,insect](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/448/7727_small.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=gJjR1cvorb2roN8nTxaftsb6U8A%3D)
carpenter ants -
Ants living on a Whistling Thorn (Acacia drepanolobium) -
Ocellaris Clownfish swims amongst anemones -
Kinkajou stares in camera -
100,000 Little Red Flying Foxes -
Phacelia (Tanacetifolia) -
Leafcutter Bee (Megachile rotundata) -
Feed me! -
Great spotted woodpecker -
Pileated Woodpecker -
Black-rumped Flameback -
Red Headed Woodpecker -
Green woodpecker