Question

Reading: Kiers T, Palmer T, Ives A, Bruno J, Bronstein J (2010) Mutualisms in a changing world: an evolutionary perspective, Ecology Letters, 13: 1459-1474.

Prompt: In a host-microbe interaction you are familiar with (ie pick a system), predict whether over the next 50 years any of the following breakdowns in the symbiosis are likely to occur due to a global change (ie. pick a global change): (1) shifts from mutualism to antagonism, (2) switches to novel partners and (3) mutualism abandonment. Explain the basis for your prediction (at least sentences in scientific writing)

Answer 1

I have picked the system, that is

Shift from mutualism to antagonism

Rapid environmental degradation, affected the mutualism cooperation between the organism . Human activities have severly affected the environmental conditions that affected the mutual relationship between the two organism. For example, In ecosystem of Africa, due to less herbivorous organism, the ant present there , shift from mutualism to antagonism. The ant previously, protect the three acacia from herbivorous , but due to less herbivorous, ant do not protect the tree from them. So, ants are no longer in mutual relationship with acacia tree.