In the environment, organisms establish relationships of a different nature with each other, existing relationships of an intraspecific type (between beings of the same species) and of an interspecific type (between beings of different species). For example, there are living beings that use others as a place to live and be protected without this affecting the second; this is the case of tenant agencies.
If you want to know more about this interspecific relationship, keep reading this Green Ecologist article in which we discuss the issue of what is tenantism and examples of cases of this relationship and of species that use it.
What is tenancy - definition
Tenancy is a type of commensalism, that is, a interspecific relationship in which one species feeds on the leftover food of another, or they use the second as a means of transport. Specifically, tenantism consists of a relationship between two individuals of different species in which one of them, the tenant, lives on or inside another organism, which acts as a host.
The key aspect of a tenant relationship is that the tenant benefits when obtaining protection, a means of transport or even food from the host, without this implying any benefit or harm on the latter.
To expand this knowledge, you can consult these other articles by Green Ecologist on interspecific relationships: types and examples and on What is commensalism: definition and examples.
Examples of tenancy
Here are some examples of simple tenants to better understand this type of relationship between species.
Examples of tenancy in plants
The epiphytic plants are those that live on the surface of other plants, as is the case of numerous species of orchids, some ferns, lichens, mosses, cacti, and so on. Epiphytic plants have the ability to hold on to vertical surfaces and capture water and much of its nutrients from sources other than the soil, such as air or even fog in the case of species that inhabit desert environments. Epiphytic plants can grow on branches, the trunk or other plant structures, without causing any damage to the host plant. Within the great variety of epiphytic species, many inhabit tropical and cloud forests.
Examples of marine tenancy
In the marine environment there are several examples of tenantism, such as the case of the Balanus, which are crustaceans that live embedded in the skin of whales or in the shells of bivalves. In the first case, they are guaranteed a means of transport. Hermit crabs are sometimes included as an example of inquilinism, although the term "metabiota" is more accurate, which refers to those organisms that use parts of other dead organisms for their own benefit, as in the case of the use of shells. abandoned.
Examples of inquilinism in mammals
An example of inquilinism within the group of mammals is that of the squirrels, that inhabit the trunks of the trees, where they find shelter and protection. Another case of tenancy in mammals could be the case of rodents such as mice that live in human houses, seeking shelter and protection while feeding on food scraps, all without causing direct harm to the people who live there. Or, in the first case, without the squirrel harming or giving a great benefit to the tree.
Examples of tenancy in insects
In the group of insects there are several examples of tenancy, especially in Diptera and Coleoptera, where there are several cases of organisms that exploit other social insects by living in their nests, feeding on their food or using them for protection purposes. There are several types of tenancy that receive the name derived from the social insect involved, as is the case of termitephilia which, as its name suggests, is related to termites.
Colonies of social insects are sources of abundant food and, in addition, have protection, so that guests or tenants benefit from them, having developed various adaptations and strategies that allow them to overcome their barriers. This is the case of the beetles staphylinides Atemeles pubicollis bris, who live in ant colonies and they adopt a "request for food" posture just like that of the ant larvae of the host species to receive food from the adult individuals. Another example of this relationship are some mosquitoes that inhabit and reproduce in the liquid contained in insectivorous plants, but with an adaptation to it that allows them to benefit from the protection they provide and the nutrients from the prey captured by said plants.
Examples of tenant species
To conclude this explanation about what is the tenantism and examples of it, we cite some examples of tenant plant and animal species:
- Common squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).
- North American Picamedero (Dryocopus pileatus).
- Balanos or Balanus that live on the shell of bivalves or embedded in the skin of whales (Balanus sp.).
- Epiphytic orchid species such as Bulbophyllum sandersonii.
- Lichens that live on tree trunks, such as Lobaria pulmonaria.
- Epiphytic cacti, like Lepismium houlletianum.
- Bromeliads (Tillandsia usneoides).
- Ferns such as asplenium (Asplenium nidus).
- Beetles of the species Atemeles pubicollis.
- The species of mosquito Wyeomyia smithii, which completes its phase in the plant.
- The termite species Ahamitermes hillii, which inhabits the nests of other species of termites of the genus Coptotermes.
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