I know my title sounds strange, but hopefully it will make sense by the time you finish reading! Today’s pictures represent different types of symbiosis. And “What does that mean?” you might ask. Symbiosis is defined as a close association between two different species, and there are 3 main types of symbiosis in nature. Mutualism is the type represented in the above picture. Both species are benefited in this type of symbiosis. I’m sure you can recognize how the butterfly and the plant both benefit from their relationship. The butterfly gets food and it helps pollinate the flower. Bees also have a mutualistic relationship with flowers. Of course, the two species are not intentionally trying to help each other; they’re just surviving, and they aren’t exhibiting any type of learned behaviors.
A second type of symbiosis is commensalism, a relationship in which one species benefits but the other is neither harmed nor benefited. Some people have described the clown fish and sea anemone as commensalism, because it was thought that only the clown fish was benefited (by being protected by the anemone). It’s now known that the clown fish benefits the anemone by scaring away predators and cleaning the anemone and possibly by drawing other fish (prey) towards the anemone. So what is an actual example of commensalism. You may have seen cattle egrets in a field of cows or even perched on the cows. Typically, this relationship is described as commensalism, because the cows are usually not affected while the egrets find insects that are disturbed by the grazing animals. Sometimes it’s harder to find true examples of commensalism than it is to find examples of other types of symbiosis. In the case of the egrets, sometimes they are found sitting on the livestock and eating the insects that may be irritating the cows or horses. Sounds like mutualism in that instance! Here’s another case that may be a truer example of commensalism – orchids growing on trees. Orchids are epiphytes, which just means they are plants that grow on other plants. Orchids gain an advantage doing this because they aren’t being trampled or eaten by animals on the ground, and they are closer to the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. They do not, however, take any nutrients from the tree, so it is not really affected at all.
Mistletoe, on the other hand, does harm the tree on which it grows, and that brings me to the last type of symbiosis I wanted to mention. Parasitism is a relationship in which one species benefits (the parasite) and the other species is harmed (the host). I’m sure lots of examples come to your mind – ticks, fleas, tapeworms, etc. Typically, a parasite lives in or on a host, but there are different categories of parasitism (I’m only going to describe one and it’s represented in the pictures below).
In the photos above, the larger bird is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird (sorry for the poor quality photos), and the smaller bird is its “foster” parent. Notice how the cowbird appears to be begging for food from the little sparrow, and it does finally receive a morsel. This whole scenario was very comical to watch, but it also piqued my curiosity. I used the Google Lens feature on my phone (love that feature) with my photos, got some possible matches, and did a little more research from there. It just so happens that the Brown-headed Cowbird is considered a brood parasite. You may already know all about these cowbirds, but I did not! The females don’t make nests, but they produce a lot of eggs, which they lay in the nests of other species of birds. In fact, there may be over 220 species that the cowbirds will use as hosts, and most of those species don’t recognize the cowbird eggs in their nests. Some can distinguish the cowbird eggs from their own but are too small to remove them from their nests. They may try to build new nests over the old ones and hope the cowbirds don’t return. A few larger birds are actually able to remove the cowbird eggs from their nests.
These cowbird babies often hatch before the foster mother’s eggs and take her attention away from her own young. They also grow faster and may knock the other eggs or newly hatched young from the nest or even smother them. This behavior has actually caused some bird species to become endangered.
A multitude of examples of symbiotic relationships exist in the world (remember those are relationships between two different species), and then there are relationships between organisms of the same species. I’m thinking right now about organisms like social insects or other organisms that live in colonies – like vampire bats. You probably already know something about the different roles for different types of bees in a colony and how they work for the benefit of the entire hive. You might not know, however, about some of the interactions between bats in a colony. (No pictures of vampire bats to come!) Even though the vampire bats are social animals, they actually feed alone and may sometimes be unsuccessful in their hunting. When a hungry bat makes it back to its community, it can rely on others to feed it by regurgitating blood into its mouth. If a bat is known not to have shared with others, it most likely will not get fed if it comes back from an unsuccessful hunt. Research has shown that the bats share their food so that others will do the same for them if needed.
Brown Thrasher 
Mockingbird
So, why all the talk about relationships in the natural world?? As I observe and learn about different interactions among and within different species, my thoughts transition to our human relationships – how we interact with and treat our friends, family members, and neighbors. As humans, we can choose how we treat others. We aren’t just trying to survive on our instincts. We can choose to be kind and helpful without expecting anything in return. Or we can choose to act out of selfishness, trying to get everything we want with no concern for others. The Bible certainly has a lot to say about how we should treat others, so let’s take a look at a few passages.
Nessus Sphinx Moth on Hyacinth 
Monarch on Crimson Clover
Jesus taught us how to treat our neighbors when he answered the lawyer’s questions in Luke 10. The lawyer knew he was supposed to love his neighbor as himself, but he asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?” I’m sure you all are familiar with Jesus’ answer, known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). At the end of Jesus’ story, he had the lawyer answer his own question. When Jesus asked him about who proved to be a neighbor to the man who was beaten and robbed, the lawyer responded, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.” Our neighbors aren’t just those who live next door to us. They can be any people with whom we come into contact – and we are to show mercy. It doesn’t have to mean caring for someone’s injuries or paying for their care. It could just involve a simple smile or compliment, because sometimes there are wounds that aren’t visible. Kindness and attention might just be the perfect medicine!
Jesus also spoke the statement that has come to be known as the Golden Rule, found in Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12. “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” This command sort of reminds me of the vampire bats (minus the blood-sucking) and how they feed each other if necessary. And Paul gives us a long list of ways to treat others in Romans 12:9-21, including loving one another, showing hospitality, blessing those who persecute us, living in harmony, and even treating our enemies with kindness. Those verses are some of my favorites, and I need to read them often for the reminders. But I also love Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-8. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We aren’t to do anything out of selfishness, and we are to put other’s needs above our own – following Jesus’ example of humility.
There are so many more scriptures I could include that tell us how we should treat each other, but I’ll stop with the ones mentioned. Think about all of your relationships. Let’s choose to live a little more like clown fish with sea anemones and bees and butterflies with flowers – helping each other. Let’s choose to live a lot less like a parasitic cowbird – not caring who we harm to get what we want. Let’s choose to live a little more like a vampire bat – lending a helping hand when needed. (I know that sounds strange!) We have the choice! Let’s choose to live in harmony, to live peacefully, to treat even our enemies with kindness. Learn a few lessons from birds, bees, butterflies, and vampire bats!
I John 4:7-9 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
