Which one of the following population interactions is widely used in medical science for the production of antibiotics?
- Commensalism
- Mutualism
- Parasitism
- Amensalism
Answer
(4) Amensalism
Solution
As per NCERT, amensalism is the interaction in which one species is harmed and the other is unaffected (– , 0).
An antibiotic-producing microbe (e.g. Penicillium) secretes a chemical that kills or inhibits the growth of other microbes (e.g. Staphylococcus), while the producer itself is not affected.
This antibiosis is the basis of antibiotic production.
∴ The interaction is amensalism.
Answer: (4)