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Not all relationships between species involve eating each other. Some organisms live in close association with other species in ways that can be beneficial, harmful or neutral. This lesson focuses on two important types of relationship: parasitism and mutualism.
| Relationship | Organism A | Organism B |
|---|---|---|
| Parasitism | Benefits (parasite) | Harmed (host) |
| Mutualism | Benefits | Benefits |
| Commensalism | Benefits | Unaffected |
| Predation | Benefits (predator) | Killed (prey) |
For Edexcel GCSE, you need to understand parasitism and mutualism in detail.
Parasitism is a relationship in which one organism (the parasite) lives on or inside another organism (the host) and benefits at the host's expense. The host is harmed but usually not killed immediately — it is in the parasite's interest to keep the host alive.
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