Collectively, the examples described here illustrate how parasites may have opposing net effects on biodiversity, which depend on the context of the parasite-host relationship (e.g., whether host ...

And, of course, I wrote a whole book about them, but there are still so many examples that just didn’t even make it into the book. So, these parasites are a very, very rich source of study, and ...

These parasites can lead to human disease by acting as vectors of infectious pathogens. For example, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed to humans through a bite from an infected tick.

This behavior, called brood parasitism, is observed in fishes, frogs, and birds, with the most famous example being that of the cuckoo. Such brood parasitism has now also been observed in the insect ...

Examples of parasitism in the fossil record are also diverse, "from fleas on mammals to mites on insects, and even potentially single-celled parasites on Tyrannosaurus rex," said study co-author ...

Using genetic data from the genomes of anglerfishes, the researchers showed how complex features — such as sexual parasitism — assisted some anglerfish groups in transitioning from roaming shallow ...

This strategy, termed "pirate parasitism," indicates that egg-laying in non-hosts can be adaptive, supporting wasp reproduction when preferred hosts are scarce. This summary was automatically ...

Parasites usually become so dependent on their hosts that they lose genes, traits, and body parts that they need for a free-living life. That’s why many organisms take up parasitism but very few ...

The research team compared egg sac parasitism in the urban invasive brown widow spider to the desert white widow spider, the latter of which is native to Israel.