Final answer:
Microorganisms do not form dominance hierarchies like higher animals but interact through simpler signaling mechanisms. Complex social behaviors in microorganisms are different from those in social animals and are based on molecular signaling like quorum sensing. Helminths and viruses are different from typical microorganisms due to their multicellularity and acellular nature, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Microorganisms can exhibit complex behaviors, but they are fundamentally different from the complex social behaviors seen in higher animals that involve dominance hierarchies. In microbial communities, there are interactions, but these are generally based on exchange of nutrients, signaling molecules, and genetic material rather than social dominance. However, studies in microbial genomics are shedding light on the sophisticated ways in which these organisms interact.
While social animals such as insects, wolves, and humans have evolved discernible social hierarchies and roles within their communities, microorganisms often regulate their interactions through mechanisms like quorum sensing, which enables bacterial cells to coordinate behavior via chemical signaling. This is more akin to a regulatory network than a hierarchy based on social dominance. Additionally, single-celled organisms communicate through processes that are fundamentally simpler than the intricate intercellular communication seen in the specialized cells of multicellular organisms.
Certain microorganisms, including fungi and helminths, can form complex structures or have life-cycle stages that are microscopic and thus are often studied within microbiology. However, helminths are not considered microorganisms, because they are multicellular parasitic worms with life stages that can be microscopic. Viruses differ from other microorganisms in that they are acellular and require a host cell to replicate, whereas other microorganisms, such as bacteria and archaea, are cellular and do not always require a host for replication.