1. plural of phoresy; a form of symbiosis in which one organism attaches to or travels on another for dispersal or transport, without feeding on or harming the host.
Usage: biology; technical term; used in ecology and parasitology

Examples

• Mites use phoresies to travel long distances by clinging to larger insects.
• The study examined various phoresies between small arthropods and their larger hosts.
• Phoresies allow organisms to colonize new habitats without expending energy on independent movement.
• Scientists observed phoresies in which parasitic nematodes attached to beetles for transport.
• These phoresies represent an efficient survival strategy in crowded ecosystems.