Symbiont
An organism living in close physical association with another organism (the host) in a symbiotic relationship. May be mutualistic, parasitic, or commensal.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 4 chapters:
"...s - sometimes cooperatively, sometimes competitively, always strategically. Biology's most successful organisms aren't solitary reproducers. They're symbionts - species that form mutually beneficial partnerships, trading capabilities neither could provide alone."
"...Mitochondria pass to offspring only when host cells divide. This aligns evolutionary incentives completely - what's good for the host is good for the symbiont. Without these mechanisms, cheaters would outcompete cooperators. A tree that invests in nectar for ants but receives no protection wastes resources..."
"...d either adapted or exited. The framework has three goals: 1. Diagnose your true position in the ecosystem - Are you keystone infrastructure, a symbiont, or a parasite? Your real position determines your leverage. 2. Identify dependencies that could kill you - Single points of failure, power asymm..."
"...for aircraft-on-ground time | | | Nutrient exchange monitoring | Real-time value tracking dashboards | Yara's farmer yield monitoring platforms | | | Symbiont genome reduction | Specialized capability development | Zeiss mirrors only valuable to ASML | | BEHAVIORAL | Partner recognition & selectivity | ..."
Biological Context
Mitochondria are ancient bacterial symbionts. Gut bacteria are symbionts essential for digestion. Coral zooxanthellae are photosynthetic symbionts. The degree of integration ranges from loose associations to essential partnerships where neither organism can survive alone.