Final answer:
Antagonistic interactions in ecology are relationships where one organism benefits at the expense of another, such as parasitism and predation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antagonistic Interactions in Ecology
In ecology, antagonistic interactions refer to the type of relationships where one organism benefits at the expense of another. The best examples of antagonistic interactions are parasitism and predation.
In parasitism, the parasite benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense, while in predation, the predator consumes the prey, directly benefiting from this action in terms of nutrients and energy. Antagonistic interactions are different from commensalism, where one species benefits while the other is unaffected, and from mutualism, where both species benefit. An example of a purely antagonistic interaction would be a lion hunting a zebra; the lion gains sustenance, while the zebra loses its life.