Commensalism

Commensalism is less dramatic than parasitism and less reassuring than mutualism. It does not promise reciprocity nor demand extraction. Supposedly, it occupies a sort of in-between space: benefit without exchange; proximity without obligation. Commensalism is what remains when harm and mutual benefit are seemingly absent. Indeed, plenty of beings seem to survive by making use of what already exists, without improving or degrading it in any clear way. Lichen growing on trees. Vultures eating roadkill. Microbes living on bats’ wings. Yet the very idea of such a relationship highlights our bias against the subtle — but no less complex or necessary — relationships that exist in the sprawling blindspot of our lived human experience.

Join us for what will be a thought-provoking conversation on the concept and reality of commensalism, and how it shows up in the worlds around us.