Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS, VOL 51, 2020
Volume 51, Issue -, Pages 167-189Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-040844
Keywords
commensalism; species interactions; context dependency; fitness effects; costs; benefits
Categories
Funding
- Center for Insect Science National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Excellence in Research and Teaching (PERT) [K12GM000708]
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Commensalisms, interactions between two species in which one species benefits and the other experiences no net effect, are frequently mentioned in the ecological literature but are surprisingly little studied. Here we review and synthesize our limited understanding of commensalism. We then argue that commensalism is not a single type of interaction; rather, it is a suite of phenomena associated with distinct ecological processes and evolutionary consequences. For each form of commensalism we define, we present evidence for how, where, and why it occurs, including when it is evolutionarily persistent and when it is an occasional outcome of interactions that are usually mutualistic or antagonistic. We argue that commensalism should be of great interest in the study of species interactions due to its location at the center of the continuum between positive and negative outcomes. Finally, we offer a roadmap for future research.
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