Tenantism

Larva de Wyeomyia smithiia tenant of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea (magnification 40X).

In zoology, a tenant (from Latin inquilinus) is an animal that lives as a commensal in the burrow or shelter of another species. For example, some organisms, such as insects, can live in the burrows of farm mice and feed on residues, fungi, roots, etc.

The most common types of tenants are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites. A single colony can house dozens of different tenants. The difference between hangers-on, hangers-on, tenants, and mutualistic relationships can be very subtle. Some species meet the criteria for one or the other, for example they are tenants and exhibit some of the behaviors of parasites or mutualists. The fundamental difference is that parasites are harmful to their hosts, tenants only have neutral effects, and mutualists help the host.

The term tenant is also used to refer to aquatic invertebrates that spend all or most of their lives in the water-filled structures of certain plants. For example Wyeomyia smithii, Metriocnemus knabi and Habrotrocha rosa are three invertebrates that form part of a microecosystem within the pitchers of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea. These so-called tenants perform beneficial work for the plant by aiding in the digestion of prey trapped in the pitcher.