A dog has been biting at the fleas that are biting it. These fleas suck the blood from the dog and can cause it to become anemic and sickly.
Which term describes the relationship between the dog and the flea?
parasitism
mutualism
commensalism
competition
If you have a doubt and/or don't understand the exact meaning of the terms in the choices, you can google each of them, read the definition, and make your educated choice. Start with parasite.
A. Parasitism.
A relationship between two organisms of different species in which one is a parasite and the other is a host.
The flea benefits from this relationship and the dog does not
Ok?
The term that describes the relationship between the dog and the flea is "parasitism."
To understand this, let's break down the characteristics of each of the options:
1. Mutualism: In a mutualistic relationship, both species involved benefit from the interaction. However, in the scenario you described, the dog does not benefit from the fleas biting it and sucking its blood.
2. Commensalism: In a commensal relationship, one species benefits while the other species is neither harmed nor benefited. In this case, the dog is clearly being harmed by the fleas, so it is not a commensal relationship.
3. Competition: Competition occurs when two or more species compete for the same limited resources, such as food or territory. While the dog and the fleas are in competition for the dog's blood as a resource, this competition alone does not fully describe the relationship between the two.
4. Parasitism: Parasitism is a relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other organism (the host). In this case, the fleas are the parasites since they are benefiting from feeding on the dog's blood, while the dog is being harmed by the fleas' actions.
Therefore, the relationship between the dog and the flea is best described as parasitism.