What is amensalism?

Amenalism is a type of ecological interaction where one organism is negatively affected while the other organism is neither affected positively or negatively. In other words, it is a one-sided relationship where one organism is harmed while the other remains indifferent or unaffected. For example, if a plant releases chemicals that inhibit the growth of other nearby plants, it is an example of amensalism. The organism that is releasing the chemicals is not affected, but the neighboring plant is negatively impacted. Amensalism is relatively rare in nature compared to other types of ecological interactions such as mutualism, competition, and predation.