#commensalism

[vivian-the-barbarian]

commensalism between slime monsters and certain varieties of fish

[gandalf-the-bean]

as a biology major something i find interesting is that the h slur used against intersex people isn’t even biologically correct. tw for me using the full word in this post. note that i am NOT using this to describe humans in any way in this post. i will NEVER use it to describe any organism to which it does not apply, especially humans. i am using it in its proper, biological context to explain its use and actual meaning. basically this mostly describes a lot of worms though they’re not the only animals that exist that are described this way. they’re just the ones with the most examples and the ones i actually know about. any examples i mention in this post will be under the “read more” of this post if i’ve done it correctly so that it doesn’t distract from my point. note that for the non-human organisms i mention i will be referring to two sexes. this is about those animals, not me claiming there’s only two completely distinct sexes in humans. that’s a whole separate conversation that i’m not really qualified to talk about.

the proper use of the word “hermaphrodite/hermaphroditic/hermaphroditism”, the scientific and non-intersexist use of it, is not a human trait. hermaphroditic animals are only described as this on a species/group/etc level, not an individual one, for starters. it is a morphological trait of a category of animals, not individual organisms. to be described as hermaphroditic animals, it has to be part of their life cycle and how the species typically forms. but there’s more

hermaphroditic animals have, as adults, completely developed and fully functional reproductive systems of both sexes. while there are exceptions in which they must find a mate, they can in general both mate with other individuals or self-copulate viably. and the ones which must find a mate are still fully both sexes. more on this later. hermaphroditism is found in many types of worms, like most digenean trematodes.

it’s not “they have characteristics of multiple sexes” but “they are, entirely, both sexes, and it plays a vital role in their function”

and even in an example in which they must find a mate in order to survive and then reproduce, they still function as both sexes. both systems are fully functional and they trade off which one is fertilizing the other but it’s not like one just stops working or existing. there’s a really cool example of this that we recently talked about in parasitology class, Diplozoon paradoxum.

so not only is “hermaphrodite” an intersexist slur, it is also biologically completely inaccurate to describe a human this way.

it’s an extremely fascinating side of biology, and i love learning about it. but the more i learn the more it frustrates me that anyone would describe a person this way. because, historical and cultural context aside, it is factually completely incorrect from a biological standpoint. i don’t know enough about the cultural history of intersex people to be qualified to speak on that topic. i am not a human biologist, nor do i study this facet of history. i study mainly invertebrates, art history, and antiquity/pre-antiquity of the mediterranean region. i don’t want to speak on this side of the topic as i am not versed in it and will get things wrong. i’d love to know more, though!

now for the neat examples i mentioned earlier or just think are cool that i didn’t want to interrupt the post with, plus images:

- digenean trematodes: they have the most complicated life cycle in the animal kingdom and have two or more hosts (parasite that causes one of, if not the highest, rate of parasitic deaths in the world). all of this group of worms (except for schistosomes) are hermaphroditic. i’ll save a lot of the really specific details for both my sanity and yours, especially since i just learned this in a parasitology lecture about an hour ago. but these worms have one genital pore used for both the cirrus (male external reproductive structure) and the metaterm (female reproductive structure accessed through this pore, basically a “vagina” of sorts). they have a crazy long convoluted uterus that at a quick glance is shaped like an intestine (but does not in any capacity act as one). the sperm has to travel all the way through this maze of a uterus to the mehlis’ gland, where the oocytes are fertilized and put in a protective coating. then those eggs travel all the way back up through it and are ejected from the metaterm through the genital pore. i’m not even gonna bother to get into the life cycle itself because dear lord. (image 1 shows a diagram of their bodies. the systems overlap. note that the caecum is their gut and not part of the reproductive systems and that not everything in the image is related to reproduction)

- Diplozoon paradoxum: this is a flatworm that is ectoparasitic to european cyrpinids (a type of freshwater fish). each diapora, or juvenile, cannot develop past that stage until they find another juvenile partner (or else they die). as the pair matures together, their genital ducts fuse permanently, having them in a state of perpetual copula for several years. as they are hermaphroditic, they are cross-fertilizing each other— both reproductive systems in each worm are functioning at once to both fertilize and be fertilized, producing constant offspring. (image 2 shows adults of these worms. the connection point between the two of them is where their genitals have fused)

- a non-parasitic example— temnocephalideans: these are adorable-looking ectocommensal (they live on the outside of their hosts and benefit from it, while having no negative effects on their hosts) flatworms that live on the shells of crustaceans in south and central america, oceania, and india. they feed on the food debris from the crustaceans (which are messy eaters) and have no effect on their hosts. they move sort of like an inchworm along the shell. i love these lil guys. (image 3 shows two of them. they have five little tentacles that they attach lightly to their host with basically little suction cups)

i really like worms and my parasitology class and professor but also the more i learn about what a hermaphrodite actually is the more frustrated i get that people use it to describe humans, especially as a slur. because not only is it completely offensive and uncalled for— it’s also just. not correct. that’s not what it means at all

[laugier]

[kaladinsuniformviolationslog]

Yes, I'm aware Shallan is following me around imitating everything I do.

I think she's just bored.

[er-cryptid]

Symbiosis

[amoebasisters]

We've all been there, Barry.

[liesandbrokenhearts]

Animalistic howls

Create nothing of man-made numbers

Mere one timers

Of combinations unwind.

Semiotics of backheld pockets

Carrying change for me and you,

For ridges cold metal

Will feed no one better

Than a dollar to a dime.

Silk woven print of

Momentary relief

Caught in monetary repeat

With somehow still suffering to be found,

Because none can reteach what was branded in heat,

Fire must burn it all:

For equal souls and hearts complete.

If there is no part for all

There is no right for none, and we will fire the flame

For no gospel will be found

In no nickel or pound

Til commensalism will live no more.

You will glare at eyes not found on a 5

And see what was you once more,

But told within time,

We will ensure on our lives,

That your print will not cure or found gold.

[ahhvernin]

Tumblr is a great example of symbiotic relationships.

Mutalism: follow me, I follow back, we interact and share happily. "Here's my discord, can I DM you? Let's RP/discuss! I lurk lovingly and you do too." Collabs and shared memes.

Commensalism: follow, might not follow back, mostly one way liking, reblogging, and sending random asks on anon. Little personal interaction. Recipient has a follower but does not know how much they love them and derive happiness from them. And the follower is a happy bean.

Parasitism: The trashy pettiness and toxicity of Tumblr. Following/ stalking/ vaguing just to send and spread hate.