What Are Colonial Organisms?
Quick Answer
Colonial organisms are actually groups of individual organisms with a close, dependent relationship with other organisms in the colony, often with each member having a very specific specialization that makes them incapable of surviving alone. The individual members can be multicellular organisms or single-celled organisms.
Continue ReadingFull Answer
Colonial organisms benefit from their organization by having more protection or being able to catch larger prey than an individual member could. While this description is usually applied to organisms that live attached to one another, insects, such as honey bees and ants, that live in mutually dependent colonies are also sometimes considered colonial organisms.
Some of the most complex examples of colonial organisms are siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man o' war. They are most closely related to jellyfish and sea anemones, which are true individual organisms. These colonial organisms show a very high level of specialization in their individual members, which are known as zooids. The Portuguese man o' war has four different types of zooids, each of which performs a particular function for the colonial organisms that the others cannot. One type of zooid provides propulsion for the colony, while another is able to ingest and digest food items. They live attached to one another, sharing nutrition.
Learn more about BiologyRelated Questions
-
Q:
What Does "fungi" Mean?
A: Fungi refers to any member of the animal kingdom Fungi; these organisms are heterotrophs that feed on things already present in their environment. Fungi is... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What Is a List of Names of Unicellular Organisms?
A: Unicellular organisms fall under the main groups of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, single-celled algae and single-celled fungi. . The two general categories ... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What Are Different Kinds of Phyla?
A: Phyla occur in the Protist, Moneran and animal kingdoms; these groups contain organisms like protozoa, bacteria, chordates and annelids. The animal kingdom... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Why Do Scientists Organize Living Things Into Groups?
A: Scientists organize living organisms into groups because it is easier to study organisms that have certain shared features. The act of organizing different... Full Answer >Filed Under:
You May Also Like
-
Q:
Which Prokaryotic Group Is Most Closely Related to Eukaryotes?
-
Q:
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Tissue Engineering?
-
Q:
What Is an Encephalization Quotient?
-
Q:
Which Part of an Amino Acid Is Always Acidic?
-
Q:
What Are the Five Kingdoms in the Classification System?
-
Q:
When Will Natural Selection Occur?
