Mutualism
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For another use of the term see Mutualism (economic theory).
In biology, mutualism is an interaction between two species in which both species derive benefit. Mutualisms can be very long lived interactions as with the symbiosis between algae and fungi in lichen, or, as with flowering plants and pollinators, they can be very brief. Mutualisms may also be obligatory or not. For example, bacteria known as rhizobia can reproduce either in the soil or in (usually) mutualistic symbiosis with legume plants. Mycorrhizal fungi, on the other hand, can be totally dependent on their plant hosts. Microbes often band together for mutual benefit in biofilms to break down solid food sources as in rusticles.
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da:mutualisme (økologi) de:Symbiose (Biologie) es:Mutualismo pl:mutualizm sv:Mutualism