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If you were a visiting alien and saw one species that covers itself almost entirely in living organisms of a different kingdom, walks around, is protected from

by abeppu 4y ago

If you were a visiting alien and saw one species that covers itself almost entirely in living organisms of a different kingdom, walks around, is protected from wind and UV radiation, and helps maintain thermal equilibrium, what characteristics would determine whether that was "clothing" versus "symbiosis"?

kinghtown 4y ago
[flagged]
- eganist 4y ago
  Abject ableism aside, I find this comment interesting for how it disregards the meticulous study our own peers perform on life around the globe.
  - kinghtown 4y ago
    Go on.
    - eganist 4y ago
      scholar.google.com, search for any species of your choice to see how humankind have studied them.
digging 4y ago
I had written a whole reply about how the pedestrians are in total control of the relationship rather than the fungus, but then I realized it's irrelevant. Symbiosis is a broad term; it applies to parasitism as well as host cleaning. So in the case where a pedestrian creature is wearing another living creature for protection, it is symbiosis.
dantyti 4y ago
Aren't we already extremely symbiotic with our gut and skin bacteria?