Symbiosis

Birds, like every other living organism, require a habitat suited to their needs. The needs of most bird species consist of materials such as pine needles, thorns and twigs to create a nest along with a branch of tree to rest the nest. In this case, blue jay birds are staying in an apple tree. Both birds and trees are biotic factors meaning they are living. The relationships between these organisms and plant is an example of commensalism. Commensalism is the symbiotic interactions between two species in which one of the species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. The blue jays are profiting by having an area to build their home and collect meals on account of the apples, yet the tree is not affected. If the birds were to peck at the wood, therefore damaging the tree, the symbiotic relationship might be considered parasitism. However, parasitism is precisely the interaction between two living animals not just any species so birds living on a tree actually isn't accurate. A better example of parasitism would be ticks dwelling on a host animal and sucking the animals blood for its own health. Mutualism is when both species benefits from their communication. If the birds consume bugs while pecking at the wood, then the tree would be aided along with the birds undoubtedly resulting in mutualism.