BIOL 2260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Myxomatosis, Coevolution, Commensalism
5 Jul 2016
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Document Summary
Enslaver parasites (the hairworm in the cricket) causes the cricket to kill itself through drowning so it can get into water where the worm reproduces. The act of organisms working together o o o. Parasites consume the tissues or bodily fluids of the host. Different types of symbiosis: mutualism (+,+): both organisms benefit o o. Parasitism (+,-): one organism benefits, the other is harmed. Commensalism (+,0): one organism benefits, the other is unaffected. Macroparasites (visible with the naked eye) and microparasites (microscopic) Parasites usually feed on one, or a few host individuals. Ectoparasites (live outside of the host) and endoparasites (live inside the host) Hosts have adaptations for defending themselves against parasites, and parasites have adaptations to overcome host defences. Host and parasite populations can evolve together, each in response to selection pressure imposed by the other. Case study: myxomatosis (parasite) and the wild rabbit. Virus was naturally occurring in other animals, but didn"t cause disease.
