Abstract
Mutualism is an interaction between species that conveys benefits to both. The benefits include protection, provision of nutrients, pollination, dispersal or some combination of rewards which typically differ between the partners of a mutualistic interaction. Interactions can be between a pair of species, or they can involve associations between a number of partners. The associations can be symbiotic or nonsymbiotic, and the partners can vary in their dependence on the benefits. For some species, the obligate mutualists, the presence of a mutualistic partner is necessary for their persistence. The facultative mutualist is not dependent on mutualistic partners and may participate in a mutualistic relationship when given the opportunity.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Loeschcke, V., Christiansen, F.B. (1990). Evolution and Mutualism. In: Wöhrmann, K., Jain, S.K. (eds) Population Biology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74474-7_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74474-7_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-74476-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74474-7
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