Commensalist

/kəˈmɛnsəlɪst/ noun

Definition

An organism that lives in a commensal relationship with another organism, benefiting while the host is unaffected.

Etymology

From commensal (adjective) plus the agent noun suffix -ist, which creates a noun for something that practices or embodies a particular characteristic or relationship.

Kelly Says

Barnacles on whale skin are commensalists—they travel the ocean without paying a price, making them optimized hitchhikers that have solved the ultimate transportation problem.

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