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In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin inquilinus, "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the homes of gophers and feed on debris, fungi, roots, etc. The most widely distributed types of inquiline are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites — a single colony may support dozens of different inquiline species. The distinctions between parasites, social parasites, and inquilines are subtle, and many species may fulfill the criteria for more than one of these, as inquilines do exhibit many of the same characteristics of parasites. However, parasites are specifically not inquilines, because by definition they have a deleterious effect on the host species, while inquilines do not.[citation needed]
The term inquiline has also been applied to aquatic invertebrates that spend all or part of their life cycles in phytotelma, water-filled structures produced by plants. For example, Wyeomyia smithii, Metriocnemus knabi, and Habrotrocha rosa are three invertebrates that make up part of the microecosystem within the pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Cochran-Stafira, D. L. and von Ende, C. N. (1998). Integrating bacteria into food webs: studies with Sarracenia purpurea inquilines. Ecology, 79(3): 880-898.
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