A feeding relationship in which both organisms benefit is referred to as

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the term for a feeding relationship where both organisms benefit. The key phrase is "both organisms benefit."

Step 2: Explain the concepts Let's check each option:

• Commensalism: One organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped (+/0). Example: an egret perching on a cow and feeding on insects the cow stirs up.
• Parasitism: One organism benefits while the other is harmed (+/−). Example: a tapeworm in the human intestine.
• Predation: One organism (the predator) kills and eats another (the prey) (+/−). Example: a lion eating a zebra.
• Saprophytism: An organism feeds on dead or decaying organic matter. Example: mushrooms and moulds.
• Symbiosis: A close association between two organisms of different species in which both benefit (+/+), which is mutualism. Examples: nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules of legumes (beans, cowpea), and the algae and fungus in lichens.

Step 3: Match to the question Only symbiosis describes a relationship in which both partners gain. In the Rhizobium and legume example, the bacteria get food and shelter from the plant, and the plant gets nitrates (usable nitrogen) from the bacteria.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is E. symbiosis.

Tip: Remember the signs: Symbiosis = (+/+), Commensalism = (+/0), Parasitism and Predation = (+/−). "Sym" sounds like "same", meaning both gain. In NECO and WASSCE, note that some textbooks use "symbiosis" for all close associations, but when the question says "both benefit," the answer is symbiosis (mutualism).