Question

bacteria that live on the surface of our teeth require sugar from our food to survive. a by - product of their metabolism (body processes) decays the enamel of teeth. what type of symbiotic relationship is this? endoparasitism ectoparasitism mutualism commensalism

Explanation:

To determine the symbiotic relationship, we analyze each option:

• Endoparasitism: Parasites live inside the host. Here, bacteria are on the tooth surface (external), so not endoparasitism.
• Ectoparasitism: Parasites live on the host's surface and harm the host. The bacteria live on teeth (surface), use sugar from food, and their by - product decays tooth enamel (harms the host). This fits.
• Mutualism: Both species benefit. The bacteria harm the host (tooth decay), so not mutualism.
• Commensalism: One benefits, the other is unaffected. The host (teeth) is harmed, so not commensalism.

Answer:

The correct option is the one labeled "ectoparasitism" (assuming the options are presented as: endoparasitism, ectoparasitism, mutualism, commensalism. So the answer is the option with "ectoparasitism" text).