Flashcards
Parasitism: ecological aspects
Cards in this deck (17)
- 1What is connectance?The proportion of possible links between species that are realized
- 2What space should parasites occupy in the classical Eltonian pyramid suggested by Sukhdeo and Hernandez 2005?The pinnacle - if parasites feed at a trophic level above their hosts
- 3What is parasite mediated competition?the effect parasites have on their hosts; parasites can influence biodiversity when they alter the outcome of competitive interactions between host species.
- 4Give an example of direct effects of parasites in biological invasions (parasite mediated competition)Host: Invasive Asian cyprinid fish and native cyprinid
Parasite: invasive intracellular eukaryote
parasite is of low virulence to the invader, but high virulence to native species.
Spill over of parasive from invader causes high mortality in native species thereby reducing the native fish to compete with invader, facilitating invasion success - 5Parasites can also positively contribute to biodiversity, how?By allowing a competitively inferior species to coexist with a dominant species
- 6Give an example of parasites positively contributing to biodiversityAnolis gingivinus outcompetes Anolis wattsi everywhere on the carribean island of st. Maarten, both lizards host a malarial parasis Plasmodium azurophilum, both lizards only occur where A. gingivnus is heavily parasitized suggesting malaria reduces the competetive ability of the dominant lizard and allows the inferior lizard to coexist.
- 7Name the six phyla of parasites that infect sharksPlatyhelminthes
Arthropoda
Nematoda
Annelida
Acanthocephata
Mollusca - 8What are the main sites of the shark that are parasitised?Skin
Respiratory system
Stomach - 9What cooperative behaviour can be seen in assiting sharks rid parasites?Cleaning system - cleaners remove the parasites and dead tussye from 'clients' that pose at stations to solicit inspections from them
- 10What other behaviours help sharks rid endo-parasites?Breaching
- 11What is dualism?dominant theory of life that considers reality to be a balance between two independent and fundamental principles - i.e. good and evil, nature and nurture, mind and matter etc.
- 12How is parasitism considered part of dualism?Parasitism can both generate biodiversity but cause extinction
- 13Who described dualism in parasitism? (author)Thomas (2006)
- 14How do parasites have an evolutionary advantage against their hosts?Short life cycle, multiple generations seen in the lifespan of one host therefore evolutionary traits developed to counteract evolution of host are developed quicker in parasites
- 15How do hosts evolve to counteract parasites?Immune system evolution - some of the most sophisticated natural processes known
- 16What is the red-queen hypothesis?Host-parasite co-evolution
Must run faster to keep in first place - 17What are the red queen dynamics?As one evolves, the other evolves in response
i.e. because parasites harm their hosts, natural selection favours host genes that make them resistant to parasites
parasites also under selection o overcome this resistance
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- Biology Flashcards on Parasitism: ecological aspects, created by Zoë white on 11/05/2018.
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- Zoë white
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