Mutualist exploration of the cellulose digestion

Question

What do you mean by “mutualist exploration of the cellulose digestion”, a phenomenon which takes place in some insects and mammals?

Answer 1

Herbivorous animals eat huge amounts of cellulose, a substance not digested by their digestive enzymes. In such animals areas of the digestive tube are colonized by microorganisms which digest cellulose. This mutualist ecological interaction among animals and microorganisms takes place, example: in horses, cows, rabbits and in certain insects like termites.