Symbiosis
"No organism is alone. Living on and in every person's body are more bacteria than there are human beings on Earth. Every salt spoon of soil contains at least two billion microbes. No living organism or system seems to be without symbiotic partners."1. Batten
Symbiosis literally means "life together" and refers to a mutually beneficial partnership between different species. Although there are definite areas where competition between species plays a role, it is the co-operative agreements that an organism can develop that bind it into the environment. The honey bee and the flower it pollinates, the goat and the micro-organisms that live in its gut and digest cellulose, the Amanita muscaria and its birch tree, are examples of the "symbiotic" relationship. Our modern science tells us that the more of these co-operative relationships a species develops, the better are its chances of survival.
An example is one species of yucca that is pollinated by a small moth. This moth uses specially modified mouthparts gather pollen from one yucca flower and pollinate others. It lays it's eggs in the at the base of the flower. It performs this elaborate procedure, one that benefits both species. The moth gets an ideal home and food for its young and the yucca gets pollinated, which it can accomplish no other way.
The implication of symbiosis is that there must be a complex form of communication between the participants before any mutually beneficial arrangements can be made.
Indeed there is. This communication takes place in the form of pheromones (odors) and allomones, (hormones designed to function in other organisms) as well as shape, sound, color and possibly some lesser known channels. The more we look into inter-species communication, the more interesting it becomes.
One species of wasp produces an allomone that inhibits the maturation process of its host fig tree until its larvae hatch. There are many examples of this sort of interchange taking place with more being discovered all of the time.
Pheromones
One thing that most creatures share is a system to produce and receive signals through pheromones. Fragrance and odor are produced by organisms to communicate many things to the environment. Not only do these molecules communicate with the conscious mind as smells, but these compounds can trigger hormone reactions and pass other information to the sub-conscious.
Apparently, these pheromones are like tiny transmitters, sending a signal that the olfactory nerves can detect from a distance. In mammals, there are pheromones in the urine and sweat of males that can cause a series of reactions in females and other males.
There is an aerosol product on the market called "Sow Stand" that is used to immobilize a female pig for inspection or artificial insemination. It contains pheromones derived from the sweat of boars that make the sow "receptive" and docile. The same product, with a different label, is sold as a cologne for men. This product was covered on the popular television show, 60 Minutes. Scientists confirmed that the pheromones in Sow Stand are very similar to those produced by humans and that there very well could be a hormonal reaction from its use. (Since this was written sex pheromone products have become common.)
Then there is the orchid that grows its petals to imitate the back of certain species of female fly so closely that the male attempts to mate with it. In so doing, he pollinates the orchid. The flower emits a pheromone that smells like the female fly. The flower also gives off heat, up to 15 degrees higher than the surrounding air.2. "Tompkins/Bird Not all of the relationships discovered can really make the grade as "symbiotic" in a true sense. The fly, in this case, is being tricked. It is hard to say what benefit the fly and his species get from the arrangement. The orchid, however gets pollinated, something it can accomplish in few other ways. We humans sometimes take the place of the fly, but other than that, the orchid is helpless to reproduce.
It would seem that a true symbiotic relationship must benefit both parties. It usually means that one party gets fed while the other gets help with its reproduction or dispersal or shelter or something else that it can't do for itself.
The Amanita muscaria's relationship with its host tree is questionable in that regard. Some researchers say that trees with an Amanita on their root grow taller and live longer than their neighbors without the mushroom, but if they end up in the fire place as a yule log because of it, who's to say?(Tree of Life)
Another questionable symbiotic relationship is the one between human beings, grapes and the microorganisms that produce alcohol. The grapes and yeasts have benefited from the relationship, while homo sapien's rewards have had some serious side effects. Individuals have enjoyed the inebriation while the species has picked up liver problems and some genes that favor alcoholism. The violence brought about by the use of this drug has certainly been no blessing.
The important point is that in order for there to be the kind of communication that we find between species, there needs to be a high degree of intelligence involved. Not the kind that decides what is right and wrong, or what shirt to wear, but the kind that tells the flower how to emit the right fragrance, or the cells how to build the flower in the first place. Some will prefer not to think of this as intelligence, but rather some sort of automated regulatory system that evolved by chance. That may seem like a safe assumption, but it will only get you into trouble later on. You will be much better off to assume that the system is very smart.
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Sources
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1. Batten, "Earth's Odd Couples", Science Digest, Nov/Dec, 1980, p 66.
2 Tompkins/Bird, The Secret Life of Plants Harper and Row, New York, 1973, p xii.
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