amensalism
[ ey-men-suh-liz-uhm ]
nounEcology.
a relationship between two species of organisms in which the individuals of one species adversely affect those of the other and are unaffected themselves.
Origin of amensalism
1Words Nearby amensalism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
Scientific definitions for amensalism
amensalism
[ ā-mĕn′sə-lĭz′əm ]
A relationship between two organisms in which one organism is harmed or inhibited and the other is unaffected. Examples of amensalism include the shading out of one plant by a taller and wider one and the inhibition of one plant by the secretions of another (known as allelopathy). Compare commensalism mutualism parasitism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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