What are some adaptations parasites have?
- Very efficient at turning food into biomass
- Large reproductive organ system
- Fast growth
- Large body size compared to free living relatives
- Long lifespans
What tradeoffs do parasites have?
Hard to find the correct habitat/host, and sometimes hard to disperse.
What are the two filters that determine parasitic infection?
Encounter and compatibility
What is the cycle of parasites in wild animals?
Sylvatic cycle
What is the cycle of parasites in domestic animals?
Domestic/urban cycle
What is a paratenic host
An organism that carries a parasite in a dormant or infective state but without further development of the parasite
What is auto infection?
Reinfection of the same host by its own parasite stages
What is a microparasite
A parasite with intensity independent pathology. One worm will cause the same symptoms as 100.
What is a Macroparasite
A parasite with intensity dependent pathology. The more worms the worse the symptoms.
Prevalence means
Number of hosts infected with 1 or more parasites divided by number of hosts examined
Intensity means
The average number of individuals of a particular parasite species among infected hosts.
Abundance means
The number of individuals of a parasite species in a single host regardless of if its infected or not.
