Question

Explain the type of interaction between :

(i) Egret and Cattle

(ii) Cuckoo and Crow

Hint:

Egret and cattle is commensalism; cuckoo and crow is brood parasitism.

Answer 1

Step 1: Part (i): Egret and cattle:
Cattle graze and disturb insects from the grass. The egret follows the cattle and feeds on these insects.
The egret gets food and the cattle are neither helped nor harmed. This is commensalism (+ , 0).

Step 2: Part (ii): Cuckoo and crow:
The cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of the crow. The eggs look like the crow eggs, so the crow does not notice them.
The crow incubates the cuckoo eggs and feeds the chicks, so it loses its own offspring. This is brood parasitism (+ , -), a kind of parasitism.

Final Answer:
(i) Commensalism - the egret benefits and the cattle are unaffected. (ii) Brood parasitism - the cuckoo benefits and the crow is harmed.