Mutualisms are ubiquitous in nature despite the widely held view that they are unstable
interactions. Models predict that mutualists might often evolve into parasites, can abandon …

Although no species lives in isolation in nature, efforts to grow organisms for use in
biotechnology have generally focused on a single-species approach, particularly where a …

Diverse bacterial lineages form beneficial infections with eukaryotic hosts. The origins,
evolution, and breakdown of these mutualisms represent important evolutionary transitions …

The evolution of mutualisms presents a puzzle. Why does selection favour cooperation
among species rather than cheaters that accept benefits but provide nothing in return? Here …

Ecology Letters (2009) 12: 1357–1366 Abstract Interactions between two populations are
often defined by their interaction outcomes; that is, the positive, neutral, or negative effects of …

Invasive, alien plants and pollinators have varying effects on their interaction partners,
ranging from highly beneficial to strongly detrimental. To understand these contrasting …

In this study, we report evidence that temperature plays a key role in determining the relative
abundance of two mutualistic fungi associated with an economically and ecologically …

The performance and function of reef corals depends on the genetic identity of their
symbiotic algal partners, with some symbionts providing greater benefits (eg, photosynthate …

Mutualisms provide benefits to interacting species, but they also involve costs. If costs come
to exceed benefits as population density or the frequency of encounters between species …

New insights into the mechanisms and outcomes of facilitation have led to important
advances in our understanding of ecological patterns and processes. However, the effects of …