DD, thanks for dealing with the "heart of the matter" .. my feigned 'outrage' on defense of parasites was a weak attempt at humor .. lol .. in case nobody sensed it .. yours as expected a broader more enlightened and insightful brush, that's why i left it to you .. and for the new word for me, so better understanding of nature's relationships ..
Commensalism
A titan triggerfish .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_triggerfish .. (Balistoides viridescens) creates feeding opportunities for smaller fish by moving large rocks too big for them to shift themselves.
In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral (there is no harm or benefit). There are two other types of association: mutualism (where both organisms benefit) and parasitism (one organism benefits and the other one is harmed).
Commensalism derives from the English word commensal, meaning "sharing of food" in human social interaction, which in turn derives from the Latin cum mensa, meaning "sharing a table". Originally, the term was used to describe the use of waste food by second animals, like the carcass eaters that follow hunting animals, but wait until they have finished their meal.
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Examples of commensal relationships
Commensalism is harder to demonstrate than parasitism and mutualism, for it is easier to show a single instance whereby the host is affected, than it is to prove or disprove that possibility. Often, a detailed investigation will show that the host indeed has become affected by the relationship.
Cattle egrets and livestock
An example of commensalism: cattle egrets foraging in fields among cattle or other livestock. As cattle, horses and other livestock graze on the field, they cause movements that stir up various insects. As the insects are stirred up, the cattle egrets following the livestock catch and feed upon them. The egrets benefit from this relationship because the livestock have helped them find their meals, while the livestock are typically unaffected by it.
Tigers and golden jackals
In India, lone golden jackals expelled from their pack have been known to form commensal relationships with tigers.
Other examples
Another example of commensalism: birds following army ant raids on a forest floor. As the army ant colony travels on the forest floor, they stir up various flying insect species. As the insects flee from the army ants, the birds following the ants catch the fleeing insects. In this way, the army ants and the birds are in a commensal relationship because the birds benefit while the army ants are unaffected.
A Canberra woman convicted of keeping a Thai sex worker as a slave in a Braddon brothel will spend at least four years and nine months in prison.
Watcharaporn Nantahkhum, 45, was found guilty of six charges including possessing a slave, exploiting a non-citizen, and perverting the course of justice.
The charges related to two victims, one of whom Nantahkhum recruited from Thailand to work in the Australian sex industry in 2007.
The woman was forced to see more than 700 clients at all hours to pay off a $43,000 debt.
Justice Richard Refshauge told the ACT Supreme Court, he accepted the woman had not been coerced into coming to Australia but that did not diminish the culpability.
He sentenced Nantahkhum to eight years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of four years and nine months.
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