adverb
- in a manner relating to or characteristic of commensalism; in a way that involves a relationship between organisms where one benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
Usage: biology; formal
Examples
- The remora fish attaches commensally to sharks, gaining transportation while the shark is unaffected.
- Certain bacteria live commensally on human skin without causing disease.
- The orchid grows commensally on the tree branch, using it for support without damaging it.
- These organisms interact commensally in the ecosystem.
- The fungus colonizes the plant commensally, neither benefiting nor harming its host.