Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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relationships amongst living beings are essentially cooperative, symbiotic, interdependent and co-existent. Even competition is cooperation in wider context. When there is room only for one, the other, the smaller one will disintegrate by its own mechanism, it is not thrown out, it simply bows out.
Examples of Mutualism (Symbiosis) :
In nature mutualism, cooperation and positive interactions are wide spread. The negative interactions or aberrations are stray and few and are mostly because of anthropocentric attitude of mankind. Mutualism is manifest in numerous associations. Intestinal bacteria notably (Escherichia coli) lives symbiotically in digestive tracts of humans, derive nutrition but simultaneously help in digestion of food. Ruman bacteria in ungulates, flagellates in termites only can digest food as animals do not have necessary enzymes. Lichens are associations of fungi and algae and live in such a symbiotic relationship that it is not two but one new organism. In lichens fungi absorb and hold moisture and break minerals from rocks and make it available for algae which in turn prepare food for both by photosynthesis. It is only by action of multitude of microorganisms in soil that make nutrition available to plants and it is plants that prepare food for animals and humans. One kilogram of fertile soil may contain a few trillion decomposer organisms, fixing nitrogen, breaking rocks, making minerals available to plants, retaining moisture and aerating soil. Unfortunately the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides are almost annihilating these and thus affecting the natural fertility of soil.
Coral reefs are an excellent example of mutualism amongst several life forms. Individual coral polyps join to form coral reefs, sharing nervous network and reproductive capabilities so cohesively that it is difficult to consider them individual organisms. In addition innumerable bacteria, plants and animals live on their top, fishes and invertebrates in their nooks. Over 60% energy requirements of coral reef is from
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