Commensalism Definition, Examples, and Relationships

Commensalism is a type of relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it. A commensal species benefits from another species by obtaining locomotion, shelter, food, or support from the host species, which (for the most part) neither benefits nor is harmed. Commensalism ranges from brief interactions between species to life-long symbiosis. Commensalism Definition The term was coined in 1876 by Belgian paleontologist and zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, along with the term mutualism. Beneden initially applied the word to describe the activity of carcass-eating animals that followed predators to eat their waste food. The word commensalism comes from the Latin word commensalis, which means sharing a table. Commensalism is most often discussed in the fields of ecology and biology, although the term extends to other sciences. Terms Related to Commensalism Commensalism is often confused with related words: Mutualism - Mutualism is a  relationship in which two organisms benefit from each other. Amensalism - A relationship in which one organism is harmed while the other is not affected. Parasitism - A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed. Theres often debate about whether a particular relationship is an example of commensalism or another type of interaction. For example, some scientists consider the relationship between people and gut bacteria to be an example of commensalism, while others believe it is mutualistic because humans may gain a benefit from the relationship. Examples of Commensalism Remora fish have a disk on their heads that makes them able to attach to larger animals, such as sharks, mantas, and whales. When the larger animal feeds, the remora detaches itself to eat the extra food.Nurse plants are larger plants that offer protection to seedlings from the weather and herbivores, giving them an opportunity to grow.Tree frogs use plants as protection.Golden jackals, once they have been expelled from a pack, will trail a tiger to feed on the remains of its kills.Goby fish live on other sea animals, changing color to blend in with the host, thus gaining protection from predators.Cattle egrets eat the insects stirred up by cattle when they are grazing. The cattle are unaffected, while the birds gain food.The burdock plant produces spiny seeds that cling to the fur of animals or clothing of humans. The plants rely on this method of seed dispersal for reproduction, while the animals are unaffected. Types of Commensalism (With Examples) Inquilinism - In inquilinism, one organism uses another for permanent housing. An example is a bird that lives in a tree hole. Sometimes epiphytic plants growing on trees are considered iniquilism, while others might consider this to be a parasitic relationship because the epiphyte might weaken the tree or take nutrients that would otherwise go to the host. Metabiosis - Metabiosis is a commensalistic relationship in which one organism forms a habitat for another. An example is a hermit crab, which uses a shell from a dead gastropod for protection. Another example would be maggots living on a dead organism. Phoresy - In phoresy, one animal attaches to another for transport. This type of commensalism is most often seen in arthropods, such as mites living on insects. Other examples include anemone attachment to hermit crab shells, pseudoscorpions living on mammals, and millipedes traveling on birds. Phoresy may be either obligate or facultative. Microbiota - Microbiota are commensal organisms that form communities within a host organism. An example is the bacterial flora found on human skin. Scientists disagree on whether microbiota is truly a type of commensalism. In the case of skin flora, for example, there is evidence the bacteria confer some protection on the host (which would be mutualism). Domesticated Animals and Commensalism Domestic dogs, cats, and other animals appear to have started out with commensal relationships with humans. In the case of the dog, DNA evidence indicates dogs associated themselves with people before humans switched from hunting-gathering to agriculture. Its believed the ancestors of dogs followed hunters to eat remains of carcasses. Over time, the relationship became mutualistic, where humans also benefited from the relationship, gaining defense from other predators and assistance tracking and killing prey. As the relationship changed, so did the characteristics of dogs. Reference:  Larson G (2012). Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109: 8878–83.

Origin of Hindu Religion - 2457 Words

A Hindu ( pronunciation (help ·info), Devanagari: à ¤ ¹Ã  ¤ ¿Ã  ¤ ¨Ã  ¥ Ã  ¤ ¦Ã  ¥ ) is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Ã…Å¡ruti (revealed) and Smriti (remembered), lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs, which primarily include dhà ¡rma, kà ¡rma, ahimsa and saá ¹Æ'sÄ ra. VedÄ nta and yoga are one of the several core schools of Hindu philosophy, broadly known as the SanÄ tana Dharma. The word Hindu is at times attributed to all persons professing Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism or Sikhism as is used in the Constitution of India.[1] With more than a billion adherents, Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion. The vast majority of Hindus,†¦show more content†¦The Vedas are the oldest sacred books of Hinduism and lay the foundation of several schools of Hindu thought.[21] The Upanishads refers to those scriptures which form the core teachings of the VedÄ nta philosophy.[22] Adi Shankaras commentaries on the Upanishads led to the rise of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential sub-school of Vedanta. In the holy text Merutantra,the word Hindu is defined as Hinani Gunani Dushyanti iti Hindu.Meaning that Gunani that which destroys the inferior raja-tama components or gunas is a Hindu.Thus, to be a Hindu is to follow a way of life that enhances the spiritually pure sattva component and sattva predominant qualities like love, courage, humility, expansiveness, etc.and overcomes the spiritually impure raja-tama predominant attitude like anger, lust, jealousy, greed, attachment, pride etc. Hinduism consists of several sects and denominations, of which Vaishnavism and Shaivism are by far the most popular.[23] Other aspects include folk and conservative Vedic Hinduism. Since the 18th century, Hinduism has accommodated a host of new religious and reform movements, with Arya Samaj being one of the most notable Hindu revivalist organizations. Due to the wide diversity in the beliefs, practices and traditions encompassed by Hinduism, there is no universally accepted definition on who a Hindu is, or even agreement on whether term Hinduism represents aShow MoreRelatedOrigin of Hindu Religion2468 Words   |  10 PagesA Hindu ( pronunciation (help ·info), Devanagari: à ¤ ¹Ã  ¤ ¿Ã  ¤ ¨Ã  ¥ Ã  ¤ ¦Ã  ¥ ) is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Ã…Å¡ruti (revealed) and Smriti (remembered), lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs, which primarily in clude dhà ¡rma, kà ¡rma, ahimsa and saá ¹Æ'sÄ ra. VedÄ nta and yoga are one of the several core schools of Hindu philosophy, broadly known as the SanÄ tana Dharma. The word Hindu isRead MoreHinduism, Islam, And Hinduism Essay1205 Words   |  5 Pagesgraces that make a society prosper. 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There is no one start, or founder to pinpoint the origins of Hinduism. 2. The Question of Identity - Hindu worship over many deities, and have a two belief system that sin and evil are just illusions and that time is cyclical. They believeRead MoreReligious Views On Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide1528 Words   |  7 PagesDaniel Kessler Professor Brislen GREL 101 15 November 2014 Religious Views on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Throughout the millennia since the origin of man, technology has continuously evolved contributing to a longer life expectancy among humans. Now, even terminally ill patients can be kept alive by medications and machines. These life saving devices also carry the potential to kill a human with little effort or time. The debate has arisen as to whether people have the â€Å"right to die† or oftenRead More Hinduism Essay1327 Words   |  6 Pagesknown as the worlds oldest religion. 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Consumer Behavior Analysis Business Operators

Question: Discuss about theConsumer Behavior Analysisfor Business Operators. Answer: Introduction The behaviors of the consumer are always of profound interest to many business operators. The knowledge of understanding these behaviors enable one to understand how consumers think, feel and choose from other alternatives of brands. Users of products have various needs and therefore need for different products for their life to move on. Various products are produced by many companies of which some of the products serve the same purpose, but variation comes in due to a different degree of perfection after the utilization of the product. For this reason, consumers do not buy the product directly but consider various crucial elements before reaching a meaningful decision to ensure that the selected product is the best(Aribarg Foutz, 2009, p. 523). According to the interview conducted, based on the sale of Vaseline as a product by two individuals, the purchasing of the product was made due to a variety of crucial factors such as the product being well recognized, information search about the product, an evaluation of other alternatives and their purchase price and also the behaviors after the procurement of the product. From these factors, consumers are involved in simple choices of tactics that grant a satisfactory decision on when to purchase the individual product and the reason for their choosing of the product. The selection of the consumers on a product is determined by those around them when they have experience about the product swaying them to utilize the product; other factors are like the quality of the product sold, the needs of the customers, and the price at which the product is disseminated to the market. These factors are essential in determining the sale of the product to the market(Moneesha, 2002, p. 322). Five step decision-making process the consumers undergo entails recognition of the problem, search process, evaluating the alternatives, selection stage, and evaluation stage as discussed below; Problem Recognition The users of the product need to identify what they need to satisfy. There is need as a consumer to realize that they lack something which they should acquire such. The need for the product especially come as a result of the current product being used to completion and therefore need to purchase another product. In the essence, after one taken a shower or washing their faces and hands, a need to apply Vaseline to moisturized their skin arises.it is due to this need that ensures that one has a stock of the same so as when the time of use comes, it is just to pick it from the point of storage and utilize the product. At such times when the audience needs the product, advertisements of such similar products are effective when conducted to them(Yoon, et al., 2009, p. 8). Search Process Consumers in many occasions have no skills about the product in the market that is the best to satisfy their demands. Therefore, need for the customers to carry out research for the goods or services that they need for their wants to be satisfied. This is the only simple way for the customers to employ so that they quickly establish what they are looking for in the market. In identifying the right product needed, recommendations from real people are preferred to researching in the system of instance internet which may not be real(Wirtz Mattila, 2003, p. 656). In addition to this, experience about the product is also paramount in solving the current problems one has. In the search process employing prior experience is necessary based on the use of different products with the similar use or importance but are different.Doing this ensures that the most effective product is selected that will serve the customer best basing on the pros and cons of various products' analysis in determinin g the best(Rickwood White, 2009, p. 146). Evaluating Alternatives After consumers have established the products that will satisfy their wants, the process of developing the best deals is initiated. These contracts are based on particular attributes such as the price of the product and its quality. In getting this right, customers need to read many reviews and compare prices and then at the end choosing the one that satisfies many of their needs. The decision of choosing Vaseline by the interviewee is due at the cost of the product being relatively small and standard quality of the product. It is, therefore, the most useful product according to these customers hence will remain loyal to the company(Pfeiffer, et al., 2009, p. 12). Selection Stage After proper analysis of the criteria for the decision, the customer is now able to establish where and when to acquire the product. At this phase, the customers have already put into considerations the risks and the product to be bought. In this essence, Vaseline remains to be the product. In this regard, a product may be new for testing, or they may have already used the product but not yet fully adjusted(Neal, et al., 2006, p. 34). Evaluation of Decision It comes after the purchase have been conducted, the product has been utilized by the consumers to check whether the wants have been satisfied. In the regard, the product is evaluated whether it is above or below the expectations. The aim of the consumer needs to ensure that they get satisfied and adopt the use of the product in their lifetime so as to be loyal customers just because their needs are fully satisfied(Montfort, et al., 2000, p. 88). Why choose Vaseline as their product? The product according to the interviewee, Vaseline as a product is a recognized brand not in the country, but at the global level. According to them, they have already used the product, and after analysis, the product is excellent with the ability to moisturize and protect the skin. Also when a product ids purchased in bulk by many clients, it provides an avenue for other consumers who have not used the product, test its attributes are among the fundamental factors that led to the purchase of this product by the consumers interviewed. The majority of buyers consider utilizing the product because of its defense against diseases, the product is also a waterproof barrier and it's always growing and replacing itself. Passion and curiosity motivate the brand for skin. Skin complex and miraculous creation of nature. The demand of the product according to the studies is influenced by factors such its price that is relatively small in comparison to other related products, for instance, Nivea , hence Vaseline can be afforded by many, leading to the high sale of the product(Milkman, et al., 2009, p. 382). The interviewee also mentioned another crucial sale determining the aspect of the quality of the product made. Every buyer whether they have a small amount of money or enough money to do their shopping, quality of the product is a determining factor as to whether to pick the product or leave it. Vaseline brands always are of high quality that made the interviewee be selecting Vaseline products whether, in small amounts or large amounts, standard quality to them is guaranteed. They were attracted towards the purchase of the product because the company involved in production conducts an excellent advertising of Vaseline products. The urge to utilize the product was driven by the attributes that were covered in the adverts comprehensively(Mata Nunes, 2010, p. 289). Another important reason as to why the brand was the most preferred is because can be acquired depending on the amount of money one have. Having a small sum of money does not stop one to purchase Vaseline brands. It is because various brands are produced by the company to cater for all classes of people, hence, meeting the needs of majority affects the supply and demand positively such that both the demand and supply increases. The factors driving the changes in demand and supply entails the urge to compete favorably and the need to make best products in the market. Besides, the company is dictated by this to ensure high profits are realized. (Trenton, 2013, p. 13) It can, therefore, be concluded that in the sell of every product, customer analysis is a crucial element determine whether a product will sell or not. In the report, the three important portions include identifying the target customers or the best customers for the production company, needs of the customers well analyzed and then the two are linked together through the identification of how the company's product meet the customer demands and satisfy them(Chung-Herrera, 2007, p. 265).The behaviors of the consumer are influenced by the factors such as marketing campaigns; an example is product advertisement, economic conditions, personal preferences, group control and the purchasing power of the product. These are critical in determining whether the consumer will purchase the product or not. Hence, entrepreneurs before establishing a business need to study such factors that are essential in ensuring the selling of the goods and the services they are yet to offer to the consumers(Mata Nunes, 2010, p. 289). List of References Aribarg, A. Foutz, N. .., 2009. Category-based screening in a choice of complementary products. Journal of Marketing Research, 46(4), pp. 518-530. Chung-Herrera, B., 2007. Customers' psychological needs in different service industries. Journal of Services Marketing, 21(4), pp. 263-269. Mata, R. Nunes, 2010. When less is enough: Cognitive aging, information search, and decision quality in consumer choice. Psychology and Aging, 25(2), p. 289. Milkman, K., Chugh, D. Bazerman, M., 2009. Milkman, K. L., Chugh, D., Bazerman, M. H. (2009). How can decision making be improved?. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(4), pp. 379-383. Moneesha, P., 2002. The Marketing Review. Business Journal, 2(1), pp. 319-355. Montfort, K., Masurel, E. Rijn, I., 2000. Service Satisfaction: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Satisfaction in Financial Services. The Service Industries Journal, 20(3), pp. 80-94. Neal, C., Quester, P. Hawkins, D., 2006. Consumer behavior implications for marketing strategy. (Enhanced 4th ed.) ed. North Ryde: McGraw-Hill. Pfeiffer, J., Riedl, R. Rothlauf, F., 2009. Pfeiffer, J., Riedl, R., Rothlauf, F. (2009). On the relationship between interactive decision aids and decision strategies: A theoretical analysis. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 9th. Internationale Tagung, Wirtschaftsinformatik. Rickwood, C. White, L., 2009. Pre-purchase decision-making for a complex service: retirement planning. Journal of Services Marketing, 23(3), pp. 145-153. Trenton, M., 2013. A review of consumer decision making models and developments of a new model for financial services. Business Journal, 18(2), pp. 1-33. Wirtz, J. Mattila, A., 2003. The effects of consumer expertise on evoked set size and service. loyalty. Journal of Services Marketing, 17(7), 649-665, 17(7), pp. 649-665. Yoon, C., Cole, C. A. Lee, M. P., 2009. Consumer decision making and aging: Current knowledge and future directions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(1), pp. 2-16.