Whats an example of commensalism in the chaparral?
Commensalism in biology refers to a relationship between two living organisms, where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped. It is derived from the English word commensal, meaning the sharing of food, and used of human social interaction. The word derives from the Latin com mensa, meaning sharing a table. As with all ecological interactions, commensalisms vary in strength and duration from intimate, long-lived symbioses to brief, weak interactions through intermediaries. Originally it was used to describe the use of waste food by second animals, like the carcass eaters who follow hunting animals, but wait until they have finished their meal. In the Chaparral an example of Commensalism would be the Red-Winged Blackbird and a Torrey pine, becuase the Red-winged blackbird eats the seeds off the ground of the Torrey Pine and does not benefit or harm the Torrey Pine.
