In an association of two animal species, one is a termite which feeds on wood and the other is a protozoan Trichonympha present in the gut of the termite. What type of association do they establish?
Mutualism is a relationship between two species in which they coexist and benefit one another. Termites and Trichonympha show mutualism, a relationship in which both organisms benefit from each other. Trichonympha breaks down cellulose in wood and thus helps the termite digest wood. Trichonympha also feeds on fragments of wood.