Shear English - Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that went beyond one host (e.g. Taenia solium), which are now called macroparasites (typically protozoa and helminths). Parasites can now also refer to microparasites, which are typically smaller, such as viruses and bacteria and can be directly transmitted between hosts of one species.
Unlike predators, parasites are generally much smaller than their host, although both are special cases of consumer-resource interactions. Parasite show a high degree of specialization for their mode of life, and reproduce at a faster rate than their hosts. Classic...
