What is the symbiosis between the fish doctor and the reef fish and why?
Symbiosis is Òa close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different speciesÓ. A symbiotic relationship is always inter-specific, meaning that it occurs between two different species. Intra-specific, or relationships within a single species, are rarely considered symbiotic. Organisms benefit by taking part in symbiosis. The symbiotic process can help reduce competition for food and territory, helping species find their environmental niche. The third type of symbiosis is parasitism. Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. There are two types of parasitism, ectoparasitism and endoparasitism. Ectoparasitism is where the parasite is external and endoparasites live inside the body of the host, such as viruses, bacteria, flatworms, roundworms and leeches. An example of an ecotoparasitism relationship is the Fish Doctor and fish. The Fish Doctor, a type of isopod crustacean, will at
