Some examples of common marine parasites are copepods, isopods, monogeneans, digeneans, nematodes, cestodes, and acanthocephalans. Viruses and bacteria are also considered to be parasites.
Parasitism is an important symbiosis—or interaction between two different species living in close physical association—found in marine communities. Different types of marine parasites, including worms, isopods, and copepods, infect a variety of host species, including crabs and fishes.
A famous example of parasitism on reefs is the tongue-eating louse of the species Cymothoa exigua. Also referred to as “fish lice”, this marine isopod is known to remove the tongue of fish hosts by extracting blood, and then to replace the organ by acting as the fish's new tongue!
An example of parasitism in coral reefs are isopods and host fish. Isopods are small, parasitic crustaceans that live in the gills, fins and scales of host fish. They suck the blood from fish to gain nutrients. This harms the host fish and can eventually kill them.
Examples of parasitism are the helminths (worms) in the intestines of the host, lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) in human head, Plasmodium species transmitted by anopheline mosquito and causing malaria in humans.
A few examples of parasites are tapeworms, fleas, and barnacles. Tapeworms are flatworms that are found attached to the insides of the intestines of animals such as cows, pigs, etc.. They feed on the host's partly digested food, depriving it of the nutrients.
The Anemone crab lives in the protection of the anemone's tentacles and catches its food without ever leaving the safety of the tentacles. However, the crab does not provide any service to the anemone. Parasitism is a relationship that is beneficial for one organism and harmful for the other.
A few examples of parasites are tapeworms, fleas, and barnacles. Tapeworms are segmented flatworms that attach themselves to the insides of the intestines of animals such as cows, pigs, and humans. They get food by eating the host's partly digested food, depriving the host of nutrients.
There are many interactions in the ocean that happens everyday between different marine species. Marine life often depend on each other to survive. The ecosystem works together in many ways, species interact in 3 main ways, mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.
These are just a few of the many mutualistic relationships in our ocean. Others include gobies and mantis shrimp; manta rays and remoras; hermit crabs and sea anemones; groupers with octopuses and moray eels; and the famous sea anemone and clownfish.
Roundworms called nematodes are the most common parasite found in marine fishes. Some people call these nematodes herring worms or cod worms.
There are three main classes of parasites that can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
Lesson Summary
Ectoparasites (like mosquitos, ticks, and head lice) live on the skin of the host in an area where they can easily feed off the blood of the host. Endoparasites (like tape worms and roundworms) live inside the body of the host and benefit from the nutrients found within their digestive tracts.
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives 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 has characterised parasites as "predators that eat prey in units of less than one".
In evolutionary biology, parasitism is a relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or in another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life.
Sacculina is a species of barnacle that infects crabs and then manipulates their behavior to benefit itself—all to the detriment of the unsuspecting crab. They do so by growing a rootlike system throughout the crab's entire body, which the parasite uses to feed on the crab.
An example of this is round worms on fish. Round worms sap the nutrients from the intestines of fish. By stealing their nutrients, they steal the fish's food and are able to feed themselves. Because the worm benefits from receiving the food, and the fish suffers, it is an example of parasitism.
Parasitic leeches in search of a host are attracted to areas of disturbance in the water, making them a nuisance to noisy, splashing swimmers. Like other worms, leeches absorb dissolved oxygen through the surface area of their entire body.