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| Question | Answer |
| What is connectance? | The proportion of possible links between species that are realized |
| What 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 |
| What 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. |
| Give 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 |
| Parasites can also positively contribute to biodiversity, how? | By allowing a competitively inferior species to coexist with a dominant species |
| Give an example of parasites positively contributing to biodiversity | Anolis 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. |
| Name the six phyla of parasites that infect sharks | Platyhelminthes Arthropoda Nematoda Annelida Acanthocephata Mollusca |
| What are the main sites of the shark that are parasitised? | Skin Respiratory system Stomach |
| What 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 |
| What other behaviours help sharks rid endo-parasites? | Breaching |
| What 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. |
| How is parasitism considered part of dualism? | Parasitism can both generate biodiversity but cause extinction |
| Who described dualism in parasitism? (author) | Thomas (2006) |
| How 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 |
| How do hosts evolve to counteract parasites? | Immune system evolution - some of the most sophisticated natural processes known |
| What is the red-queen hypothesis? | Host-parasite co-evolution Must run faster to keep in first place |
| What 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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