[ey-men-suh-liz-uh
m] 
| a relationship between two species of organisms in which the individuals of one species adversely affect those of the other and are unaffected themselves. |
| a·men·sa·lism (ā-měn'sə-lĭz'əm) n. A symbiotic relationship between organisms in which one species is harmed or inhibited and the other species is unaffected. [Probably a-1 + (com)mensalism.] |
| amensalism (ā-měn'sə-lĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism is harmed or inhibited and the other is unaffected. Examples of amensalism include the shading out of one plant by a taller and wider one and the inhibition of one plant by the secretions of another (known as allelopathy). Compare commensalism, mutualism, parasitism. |
amensalism
association between organisms of two different species in which one is inhibited or destroyed and the other is unaffected. There are two basic modes: competition (q.v.), in which a larger or stronger organism excludes a smaller or weaker one from living space or deprives it of food, and antibiosis, in which one organism is unaffected but the other is damaged or killed by a chemical secretion.
Learn more about amensalism with a free trial on Britannica.com.