In a commensalistic relationship, what is the outcome for the unaffected organism?

In a commensalistic relationship, one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed. The unaffected organism remains in its normal state and does not experience any positive or negative impacts from the relationship. This distinction is essential to understanding commensalism, as it highlights the unidirectional nature of benefit in these interactions.

For example, think of barnacles that attach to a whale. The barnacles gain mobility and access to feeding opportunities as the whale swims through the water, while the whale is unaffected by the barnacles' presence. This scenario illustrates that the affected organism gains a distinct advantage without any detriment to the unaffected organism, which maintains its condition as if the interaction did not occur.