1. relating to or involving the carrying or transport of something, especially in biology or ecology; of or relating to phoresis (the passive transport of an organism by another).
Usage: technical; biology

Examples

• The mite exhibits phoretic behavior by attaching to larger insects for dispersal.
• Phoretic relationships allow small organisms to travel distances they could not cover on their own.
• Some parasitic mites are phoretic, hitching rides on host animals to reach new environments.
• The beetle's phoretic strategy involves clinging to birds during migration.
• Phoretic dispersal is an efficient mechanism for colonizing new habitats in arthropod populations.