In article <3ls5g3$ibv at falcon.ccs.uwo.ca>, Mike Clarke <m.clarke at uwo.ca> writes:
>Here is what students in Biology 221a at UWO get:
>>Parasitism is a relationship between two organisms, the larger of which
>is physiologically dependent on the smaller; where the incidence and
>prevalence of parasites in the host population is non-random; where the
>reproductive potential is higher in the parasite; and where the parasite
>has the potential to cause harm to the host.
>>I ripped this off from somewhere, can't remember where, but it is the
>basis for an entire lecture on each aspect of the definition. The last
>part of the definition may be relevant to previous discussion in this
>list.
>>Mike Clarke
Just a note: It is probably safe to say that it is not the larger organism that
is dependent, but the smaller. (Typo)
"A parasite is whatever a competent parasitologist says it is."
--Anonymous
