Q.Describe mutualism.

Mutualism is a +/+ interaction — both species benefit.

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship between two different species in which both partners derive benefit from living together, often to the extent that one or both may be unable to survive independently. Classic examples include: lichens (a mutualistic association between a fungus, which provides shelter/water/minerals, and an alga or cyanobacterium, which provides food through photosynthesis); mycorrhizae (fungi associated with plant roots, aiding mineral/water absorption in exchange for photosynthate); the pollination mutualism between flowering plants and their insect/bird pollinators (the plant gets pollinated, the pollinator ge …