parasitism
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.35|A fish parasite, the isopod [[Cymothoa exigua, replacing the tongue of a Lithognathus]]
AI overview
Parasitism is a relationship where one organism (the parasite) lives on or inside another organism (the host) and benefits by feeding on it, while harming the host in the process. It matters because parasites are common in nature and can significantly affect the health and survival of their hosts, as illustrated by examples like the isopod that replaces a fish's tongue.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
60 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Evolutionary strategies
- Basic concepts
- Major strategies
- Parasitic castrators
- Directly transmitted
- Trophically transmitted
- Vector-transmitted
- Parasitoids
- Micropredators
- Transmission strategies
- Variations
- Hyperparasitism
- Social parasitism
- Brood parasitism
- Kleptoparasitism
- Sexual parasitism
- Adelphoparasitism
- Illustrations
- Taxonomic range
- Animals
- Plants
- Fungi
- Protozoa
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Evolutionary ecology
- Fossil record
- Coevolution
- Long-term partnerships favouring mutualism
- Competition favouring virulence
- Cospeciation
- Modifying host behaviour
- Trait loss
- Host defences
- Vertebrates
- Insects
- Plants
- Biology and conservation
- Ecology and parasitology
- Rationale for conservation
- Quantitative ecology
- History
- Ancient
- Medieval
- Early modern<!--name of period-->
- Parasitology
- Vaccine
- Biological control
- Resistance
- Cultural significance
- Classical times
- Society
- Fiction
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.35|A fish parasite, the isopod [[Cymothoa exigua, replacing the tongue of a Lithognathus]]
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson characterised parasites' way of feeding as "predators that eat prey in units of less than one". Parasites include single-celled protozoans such as the agents of malaria, sleeping sickness, and amoebic dysentery; animals such as hookworms, lice, mosquitoes, and vampire bats; fungi such as honey fungus and the agents of ringworm; and plants such as mistletoe, dodder, and the broomrapes.