What is the parasitism parasite?

Answer 1

• the ecological-evolutionary viewpoint. Parasite is a perfected predator, a predator that has evolved to extract resources from its host without killing it.
• Parasites are much smaller than their hosts. The characteristics of parasites depends on the type of parasite they are. For instance, endoparasites are much more modified and many have lost sensory or even digestive systems in favor of developing larger reproductive organs and producing lots of descendants. Ectoparasites are usually less modified with respect to their free-living relatives, but have structures and behaviors related to finding the host and remaining attached to it. Obligatory parasites are also more specialized than facultative parasites, and some species are specific parasites of a single host, while others are capable of parasitizing several species. All these different strategies involve diverse modifications, acquisitions and adaptations. Some parasites may become symbionts, by becoming gradually less damaging to their hosts and more specifically related with them.