parasitism
Other forms: parasitisms
Parasitism is a relationship between two things in which one of them (the parasite) benefits from or lives off of the other, like fleas on your dog.
Parasitism and its root, parasite, come from para-, meaning "beside" or "next to," and sito, meaning "bread or food." There is parasitism in plant life, like the kudzu vine that grows on trees. We also talk about social parasitism, when someone lives at the expense of someone else. Some people think that government programs such as welfare or corporate grants and tax breaks are a form of parasitism.
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the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it (usually not fatal damage)type of:interdependence, interdependency, mutualitya reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups)
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Vocabulary lists containing parasitism
If you can't camouflage your enthusiasm for ecology, you'll want to learn this list about interdependent relationships in ecosystems. Review food chains and food webs, competition and cooperation, symbiosis and parasitism, and much more. This vocabulary list is a great resource!
Review this essential ecology vocabulary and learn all about the relationships between organisms and their environment. This list covers ecosystems and biomes, food chains and food webs, ecological relationships like symbiosis and parasitism, and much more.