In the very beginning of Chapter 4, Carroll explained that "bacteria in the [colobus monkey's] gut help to digest the large bolus of leaves as it travels slowly through his digestive system, and unique enzymes break down key nutrients that are released from the bacteria". Discuss whether this is an example of a symbiotic relationship. If no, explain why. If yes, explain why it is and what type of symbiotic relationship this is.
Follow up question: name and explain the different types of symbiotic relationships with a clear and understandable example of each type. Furthermore, discuss in what ways each organism is benefitting (or not benefitting) through the relationship.
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In the book, Carroll discusses that the Colobus Monkey has color vision and chooses the leaves it eats by its color. Therefore, the monkey gets more nutrients then other browsers. But, the monkeys may also eat leaves and food that is harder to digest. Along with this, Colobus Monkeys eat a large amount of food, meaning their stomachs are larger and contain 4 chambers. In the monkey’s digestive tract there are large amounts of saliva and other factors to help digest the food. An example of these factors includes the bacteria which are present in the upper regions of the stomach. The bacteria present in the stomach are anaerobic and breaks down cellulose in the plants the monkey eats. The bacteria helps the monkey digest the large amounts of food that enter its stomach continuously throughout the day. The bacteria also digests chemicals in leaves that can be a poison to other monkeys and apes.
ReplyDeleteA symbiotic relationship is a close long-term relationship between two different species. The bacteria and the Monkey have a symbiotic relationship because the bacteria lives in the stomach of the monkey. Therefore, being a close and long-term relationship. There are three types of symbiotic relationships. There is Mutualism in which both organisms benefit from the relationship. Commensalism is when one organism in the relationship benefits and the other organism is unaffected in any way. An example of a commensalism relationship is Epiphytes which are plants that grow on other plants. This relationship is commensalism because the plant does not take nutrients or anything from the plant it’s growing on. It does not affect the host plant in any way but it benefits from the location of being higher and reaching more sunlight. And parasitism is when one organism benefits and the other organism are harmed by the relationship. Hookworms are an example of a parasitism relationship. The hook worm lives on its host and consumes its tissues and it’s the host’s nutrients. The bacteria and the Colobus Monkey have a mutualism relationship because the bacteria help the monkey digest chemicals, cellulose, and hard-to-digest food and the bacteria get to eat and live off the monkey’s intake of food.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/S/Symbiosis.html
http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/sstans/ColoHuff.html
The Colobus monkey has a special system of digestion that is unique to its self as a monkey and a primate. Like all old world monkeys it has the ability to have trichromatic vision, which allows it to see across the visible spectrum. This allows the Colobus monkeys to select the younger, juicier, and greener leaves that are very nutrient filled; they are able to detect them because the greener the leaf the younger and healthier. They also have something that not any other chimp or ape and only his close relative cousins posses. Colobus monkeys are ruminant. That means his diet can be mainly leaves because his stomach is larger than normal and contains four chambers. An adult monkey will consume four to six pounds of leaves a day. But the unique bacteria in the digestive system helps digest the large bolus of leaves as it travels slowly from each chamber, and at the same time it travels slowly to get maximum efficiency. The products left from the bacteria are essential nutrients that the monkeys need. To break it down, the Colobus monkeys have evolved to create unique enzymes that will break the nutrients down so they can be used by the monkey. They relationship between the monkey and the bacteria in the digestive system is a symbiotic relationship. It is an example of mutualism; this is where both organisms benefit from the presence of the other. This is evident in this relationship because the monkey provides a home and a source of food and the bacteria is able to digest the food for the monkey to use eventually as energy and nutrients.
ReplyDeleteThere is mutualism, which is where both species benefit, and a clear example is the relationship between the Colobus monkey and the bacteria that is living in its digestive system. The both receive benefits, as mentioned earlier. Commensalism describes a relationship between two living organisms where one benefits and the other is not significantly harmed or helped. Commensal relationships may involve one organism using another for transportation or for housing, or it may also involve one organism using something another created, after its death. Examples of commensalism are hermit crabs using gastropod shells to protect their bodies and spiders building their webs on dead trees. Parasitism is the last example of symbiotic evolution. A parasitic relationship is one in which one member of the association benefits while the other is harmed. Parasitic symbioses take many forms, from endoparasites that live within the host's body to ectoparasites that live on its surface. In addition, parasites may be necrotrophic, which is to say they kill their host, or biotrophic, meaning they rely on their host's surviving. Biotrophic parasitism is an extremely successful mode of life. Depending on the definition used, as many as half of all animals have at least one parasitic phase in their life cycles, and it is also frequent in plants and fungi. Moreover, almost all free-living animals are host to one or more parasite taxa. An example of a biotrophic relationship would be a tick feeding on the blood of its host.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/S/Symbiosis.html
The Colobus Monkey has a very unique gut. Their digestive systems resemble the same system that cows have inherited. The most prominent feature is that the colobus stomach has three to four different regions. The upper “sacculated” regions are usually very large and are kept separate from the acidic bottom region. The sacculated stomach allows for different pouches and compartments where the monkey can store food and digest the leafy goods for a very long time. This allows for maximum absorption rates and minimal waste. Of course, there is always the specialized bacterial microflora that helps the monkeys ingest the volumes of leafy material.
ReplyDeleteThe most abundant microflora is found in the gut of a majority of intestinal organisms. The microflora contains many components that help activate innate and adaptive immunity. However, unlimited stimulation of the immune system response could lead to inflammation which could cause discomfort and a lot of pain for the host. Most hosts however have mucosal immune system which has anti inflammatory mechanisms for eliminating or tolerating commensal microorganisms such as the microflora bacteria. The importance of the commensal bacteria in the development of a functioning mucosal immune system was demonstrated in a germ free animal. An improved understanding of commensal bacteria-host interactions brings new insights into the understanding of mucosal immunity and also into pathogenetic infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. Regulation of microflora composition offers the possibility to influence the development of mucosal and systemic immunity but it can play a role also in prevention and treatment of some diseases.
So after all of that, I believe the bacteria living in the monkey has a symbiotic relationship, more specifically, a mutualistic relationship with the monkey. The monkey is able to provide a warm dark moist environment with a constant supply of nutrients that could benefit the bacteria’s way of living. The supply of subsistence allows the bacterial microflora to survive and reproduce. The ability for the bacteria to break down the leafy greens in the stomach allows for the monkey to derive nutrients among the cellulose and useless mass that the monkey consumes. This derived nutrient is then absorbed through the stomach lining and used as energy for the monkey to survive and reproduce. Their relationship is a mutualism because both symbiotic organisms benefit. Symbiosis is when two or more organisms of different species are in direct contact.
Other types of symbiosis are commensalism. Commensalism is where one organism receives benefits while neither harming nor helping the other in a significant way. An example would be the pseudo scorpions that disperse by concealing themselves under the wing covers (elyatra) of large beetles such as the cerambycid beetle. The beetle is unharmed or affected but the scorpion receives protection. An example of parasitism is when one benefits at the expense of the other. An example is the lice and the human example where the lice receive benefits at the expense of the human host who is constantly itchy and could possibly contract a disease.
http://www.zoo.org/factsheets/colobus/colobus.html
http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=20043124276
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