In biology the term Mutualism is the interaction between two different species where both parties benefit from the relationship. For example, bees and flowering plants. The bees get nectar and the plants get pollinated. There are many other examples like Ants and Aphids. Mutualism is different from predation where one organism known as the predator, hunts, kills, and consumes another organism known as the prey. It is important because it helps keep places from being overpopulated. A good example is a lion and a zebra. The lion gains the energy and nutrients from hunting and eating the zebra and the zebra population is controlled naturally so that they don’t overgraze an area.
Interspecific competition is completely different from both mutualism and predation. Unlike the previous subjects I have mentioned before there is no organism that benefits from it. An example would be a forest that is populated with too many trees. With all those trees competing for nourishment and sunlight others may grow to be small and malnourished. Overpopulation of forests can lead to dangerous wildfires that will grow and spread quickly. That is why it is important to log a few frees from an area so that it doesn’t become a fire hazard.