Editing Biological interaction (section)

==== Amensalism ====

{{further|Amensalism}}
[[File:Eucalypts inhibiting grass growth example of amensalism and allelopathy.jpg|thumb|Leaf litter from these eucalypts contains chemicals which inhibit grass growth near the trees]]
[[Amensalism]] (a term introduced by [[Edward Haskell]])<ref>Toepfer, G. "Amensalism". In: ''BioConcepts''. [http://www.biological-concepts.com/views/search.php?term=1440 link].</ref> is an interaction where an organism inflicts harm to another organism without any costs or benefits received by itself.<ref name="Willey, Joanne M. 2011">{{cite book |last1=Willey |first1=Joanne M. |last2=Sherwood |first2=Linda M. |last3=Woolverton |first3=Cristopher J. |year=2013 |title=Prescott's Microbiology |edition=9th |pages=713–38 |isbn=978-0-07-751066-4}}</ref> This unidirectional process can be based on the release of one or more chemical compounds by one organism that negatively affect another, called [[allelopathy]].<ref>{{Citation |last1=Scavo |first1=Aurelio |title=Allelopathy: Principles and Basic Aspects for Agroecosystem Control |date=2018 |work=Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 28: Ecology for Agriculture |pages=47–101 |editor-last=Gaba |editor-first=Sabrina |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-90309-5_2 |access-date=2025-04-18 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-90309-5_2 |isbn=978-3-319-90309-5 |last2=Restuccia |first2=Alessia |last3=Mauromicale |first3=Giovanni |editor2-last=Smith |editor2-first=Barbara |editor3-last=Lichtfouse |editor3-first=Eric}}</ref> One example of this is the microbial production of antibiotics that can inhibit or kill other, susceptible microorganisms. Another example is leaf litter from trees such as ''[[Pinus ponderosa]]''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Surendra P. |last2=Inderjit |last3=Singh |first3=Jamuna S. |last4=Majumdar |first4=Sudipto |last5=Moyano |first5=Jaime |last6=Nuñez |first6=Martin A. |last7=Richardson |first7=David M. |date=2018 |title=Insights on the persistence of pines (Pinus species) in the Late Cretaceous and their increasing dominance in the Anthropocene |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=8 |issue=20 |pages=10345–10359 |doi=10.1002/ece3.4499 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=6206191 |pmid=30398478|bibcode=2018EcoEv...810345S }}</ref> or ''[[Eucalyptus|Eucalyptus spp.]]''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chu |first1=Chaojun |last2=Mortimer |first2=P. E. |last3=Wang |first3=Hecong |last4=Wang |first4=Yongfan |last5=Liu |first5=Xubing |last6=Yu |first6=Shixiao |date=2014-07-01 |title=Allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus on native and introduced tree species |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112714001492 |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=323 |pages=79–84 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2014.03.004 |bibcode=2014ForEM.323...79C |issn=0378-1127}}</ref> preventing the establishment and growth of other plant species.

A clear case of amensalism is where [[Ungulate|hoofed mammals]] trample grass. Whilst the presence of the grass causes negligible detrimental effects to the animal's hoof, the grass suffers from being crushed. Amensalism also includes strongly asymmetrical competitive interactions, such as has been observed between the Spanish [[ibex]] and [[Weevil|weevils]] of the genus ''[[Timarcha]],'' which both feed upon the same type of shrub. Whilst the presence of the weevil has almost no influence on food availability, the presence of ibex has an enormous detrimental effect on weevil numbers, as they eat the shrub and incidentally ingest the weevils.<ref name="Gómez J., González-Megías A. 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Gómez |first1=José M. |last2=González-Megías |first2=Adela |year=2002 |title=Asymmetrical interactions between ungulates and phytophagous insects: Being different matters |journal=Ecology |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=203–11 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[0203:AIBUAP]2.0.CO;2}}</ref>