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.
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