|
Parasitic Castration
Parasitic castration is the strategy, by a parasite, of blocking reproduction by its host, completely or in part, to its own benefit. This is one of six major strategies within parasitism. Evolutionary strategy The parasitic castration strategy, which results in the reproductive death of the host, can be compared with the parasitoid strategy, which results in the host's death. Both parasitoids and parasitic castrators tend to be similar to their host in size, whereas most non-castrating parasites are orders of magnitude smaller than the host. In both strategies, an infected host is much less hospitable to new parasites than an uninfected one. A parasite that ends the reproductive life of its host theoretically liberates a significant fraction of the host's resources, which can now be used to benefit the parasite. The fraction of intact host energy spent on reproduction includes not just gonads and gametes but also secondary sexual characteristics, mate-seeking behavior, competi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacculina Carcini
''Sacculina carcini'', the crab hacker barnacle, is a species of parasitic barnacle in the family Sacculinidae, in particular a parasitic castrator, of crabs. The crab that most often is used as a host is the green crab, the natural range of which is the coasts of Western Europe and North Africa. It can be found attached to the crab's abdomen and affect consumption rates by humans. Appearance The ''Sacculina carcini'' differ greatly between males and females. The female barnacles look like small slugs between entering the crab and infecting it. Once they have infected their host, they begin to develop and grow tendrils. This allows them to get the nutrients that it needs from their host. Over time, it can be seen hanging off the crab's abdomen filled with reproductive tissue. The male parasites are much smaller and serve only to help the female ''Sacculina carcini'' reproduce. Distribution and habitat ''Sacculina carcini'' is a monoxenic parasite of crabs, most commonly the gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
