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# mutualism

noun (mutualism, uncountable); adjective mutualistic

«mutualism» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Mutualism is a relationship between two different kinds of living things in which both of them benefit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#m1)
2. Examples are bees and flowers, or clownfish and sea anemones. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons about ecosystems, food chains and how animals and plants live together. It is one kind of symbiosis; others include parasitism (one is harmed) and commensalism (one benefits, the other is not affected). Phrases: «an example of mutualism».

### Examples

- Bees and flowers show mutualism: bees get nectar and flowers get pollinated. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x1)
- Clownfish and sea anemones live in mutualism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x2)
- Oxpecker birds eat ticks off zebras; that is mutualism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x3)
- Mutualism means both sides win. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x4)
- We drew a poster of mutualism in the rainforest. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x5)
- Fungi and tree roots help each other in mutualism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x6)
- The bacteria in your gut and you share a kind of mutualism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x7)
- Is a flea on a dog mutualism? No, the dog is harmed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/#x8)

### Note

Uncountable. Say «MYOO-choo-uh-liz-um». From «mutual», meaning shared by both sides. Do not confuse with parasitism, where one side is harmed.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mutualism» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mutualism/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mutualism» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mutualism.html) on Mova free.