Symbiosis is a broad ecological topic encompassing the diverse spectrum of long-term interspecific interactions, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism, defined by close physical or functional association between organisms. Research on symbiosis addresses mechanisms of partner recognition, metabolic and genetic integration, coevolutionary dynamics, and the regulation of costs and benefits across environmental gradients. It spans macro- and micro-organism interactions, such as plant-microbe, animal-microbe, and microbial consortia, and is central to understanding community assembly, niche construction, holobiont concepts, and stability–resilience properties of ecosystems, as well as informing models of evolutionary innovation and functional diversification within and across trophic levels.
An international team of scientists from Queen Mary University of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and other institutions has uncovered surprising new behavior in ...
Evolution
Apr 15, 2026
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Ants are known for many things. They fight, bite and sometimes compete for every crumb. We can now possibly add cleaning services to that list, according to a study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
Tropical trees are better neighbors than trees in temperate forests, according to a study published in the journal Nature by researchers from 29 different institutions including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
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A plant uses a rare scent to guide its pollinator to male flowers first and to female flowers later, finds a study led by Kobe University. The work, appearing in Current Biology, uncovers a precise chemical system that not ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 6, 2026
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Many insects have lived in close symbiosis with bacteria for millions of years, during which time the bacteria have provided them with vital nutrients, making the mutualistic relationship so close that neither partner can ...
Evolution
Apr 1, 2026
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The Hawaiian bobtail squid, a small, multi-colored native of coastal waters in Hawai'i, uses bioluminescence to camouflage itself and evade predators. However, the costume change is only possible through an exclusive symbiotic ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
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Most plants allow fungal microorganisms to enter their root cells and provide them with carbohydrates in exchange for a better supply of nutrients and water. Only leguminous plants like peas, beans, and clover enter into ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2026
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Japanese red elder plants safeguard their own survival when they drop fruits infested by Heterhelus beetle larvae, as well as the survival of these larvae. A Kobe University study changes the narrative on how a plant and ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 5, 2026
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Almost all plants live in close symbiosis with so-called mycorrhizal fungi—an important symbiosis for absorbing essential nutrients. In their new study, a team led by ecologist Christina Kaiser from the Center for Microbiology ...
Ecology
Mar 3, 2026
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Many insects rely on heritable bacterial endosymbionts for essential nutrients that they cannot get through their diet. A new study, published in Nature Communications, indicates that the genomes of these symbiotic bacteria ...
