The living world of our planet is extremely diverse and unique. It is difficult to come up with something more beautiful, perfect and amazing. Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria - all of them adapt to their existence in different ways, have their own distinctive features. Each organism strives to occupy its ecological niche, to become part of the general circle of life. Therefore, it is arranged as it can, using all the means available for this.
Ecological groups of organisms by types of coexistence
Naturally, living in the same territory and often having a similar source of nutrition, all living things are forced to interact with each other. In total, 9 types of coexistence of organisms can be distinguished:
- Neutralism - species are independent of each other and are not connected by any interaction.
- Competition is interspecific and intraspecific. A healthy source of natural reduction in the number of species, the capture of territories by certain species of plants and animals.
- Mutualism, or symbiosis, is a type of relationship in which species mutually beneficial cooperate with each other. In this case, the benefits are obvious to both parties. Example: mycorrhiza and tree roots, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plants, etc.
- Interspecific mutual assistance. A type of relationship in which representatives of different species unite against one enemy, rid each other of parasites, etc.
- Commensalism and phoresy - the life of a larger host is a source of shelter or food for another, smaller species. Neither one nor the other gets harm, the benefit is one-sided.
- Amensalism - the life of one organism violates the normal existence of another. Example: a tree and grass under it that does not receive enough light.
- Parasitism, when one species is the host, the other is the guest, causing great harm to the health and life of the body. The class of parasites is quite extensive. Evolutionarily, such organisms took the path of regression. Among them there are representatives of all the kingdoms of wildlife.
- Predation - eating more powerful species of the weaker. The main significance is the regulation of the number of species and the cleansing of sick and weak representatives.
- Allelopathy is a chemical inhibition by some types of plants of others.
One of the most serious forms of interaction between organisms affecting a person and his health is parasitism. Let's consider it in more detail.
Who is the parasite?
If you literally translate the term itself, then it will mean "near food", "next to food." This already largely explains what kind of creatures they are. Parasites are organisms that exist at the expense of the host, living inside or outside and consuming metabolic products. They cause great harm, often fatal.
A parasite is one who lives at the expense of others in all senses and relationships. There are such representatives who settle in humans, animals, plants. They cause a lot of diseases, lead to poisoning and intoxication, and slowly kill the host’s body from the inside. In appearance and internal structure, parasites are very diverse. Photos of many of them can be seen in the article. Representatives themselves can belong to the following organisms:
- Parasitic plants.
- Insect parasites.
- The simplest.
- Animals.
- Mushrooms.
- Bacteria.
Obviously, such forms of life are among the representatives of each kingdom. We will deal with some of them, consider the lifestyle, structural features and the harm done to the owners.
Unicellular parasites
The smallest representatives of this ecological group of organisms. Often completely indistinguishable to the naked eye. They have structural features:
- the shape of the body can be constant, or it can change due to the lack of shell and turgor;
- reproduce both sexually and asexually (depending on environmental conditions);
- contain special substances that do not allow them to be digested in the host;
- can for a long time be in a state of frozen processes of life, a kind of sleep (cysts);
- breathe the entire surface of the body;
- move with the help of cilia or flagella, pseudopods.
Types of parasitic protozoa
A single-celled parasite is a dangerous creature, transmitted from person to animal and vice versa, causing a number of serious and dangerous diseases in its owner. Typical examples are:
- Leishmania;
- trypanosomes;
- malarial plasmodium;
- dysenteric amoeba;
- toxoplasma;
- babesia;
- gregarins, etc.
Parasites, the names of which are given above, cause diseases of the same name in humans and animals, the consequences of which, even after treatment, remain terrible. Wounds on the skin, which have a very unpleasant appearance, affected areas of the external and internal organs, worsening of the general physiological state, sleep disturbance, infertility and many others.
Leishmania
One of the most dangerous unicellular creatures for humans and many animals are Leishmania. Such a parasite is a microscopic organism that has a flagellum at one end of the body and blepharoplast at the other. The central part contains the core. These creatures settle in the spleen, liver, bone marrow. They feed on the contents of cells, inhibiting their vital activity. They are able to multiply rapidly, after which they begin to harm the host. Carried by insects, such as flies.
The disease that this simplest parasite causes is called leishmaniasis. It can occur in two forms:
It manifests itself in purulent wounds on the skin, which spread very quickly over the entire surface of the body. The treatment is long, difficult, sometimes the terms reach up to a year. The main places of spread and infection with the parasite are India, Italy, China, Iran.
Trypanosomes
The simplest parasite that causes severe illness. The most common is sleeping sickness. Trypanosomes exist in various forms. Places of penetration and damage in the body:
- lymph and blood;
- brain and spinal cord;
- serous fluids.
The carrier of the disease is the Tsetse fly, bugs. Distributed mainly in Africa. Symptoms of sleeping sickness:
- swelling on the skin, within which parasites multiply and develop;
- Dizziness
- nausea;
- loss of coordination;
- neurological diseases;
- mental retardation;
- high fatigue;
- weakening of immunity, etc.
Perhaps the course in a more acute form, ends in death. The treatment is difficult for several months and even years. It is best to carry out prophylaxis and form immunity to this parasite by specially developed methods.
Parasites among insects
There are also quite a lot of them, they sometimes cause very dangerous and serious diseases. The most common parasite insects:
- lice - external parasites of the body of mammals (including humans), can cause diseases such as typhus;
- fleas - absorb the blood of warm-blooded creatures, cause plague;
- various flies - feed on garbage, organic and rotting residues, cause diseases in animals and humans, such as plague, dysentery, typhoid, anthrax, tuberculosis, infect with parasitic worms;
- bed bugs - bite through the skin, feed on blood, cause infectious diseases, allergic;
- malaria mosquitoes - intermediate hosts that carry plasmodium, which causes the development of malaria;
- horseflies and gadflies - drink the blood of animals, infecting them with various infectious diseases.
The listed parasites are examples of organisms from which you can easily fence yourself and your loved ones off, if you observe cleanliness, personal hygiene and keep pets in order.
Ticks
The most dangerous among insects is an encephalitis tick. In fact, this is what he is called for the disease, the development of which he provokes. In fact, this insect is called "taiga" and "dog tick." The animal itself is small, only up to 4 mm in length. However, his bite is extremely dangerous. Encephalitis virus enters human blood along with saliva. Further development of the disease will depend on the immunity of the victim. If he is strong enough, the disease will not develop. If not, the consequences can be very serious. The most common consequences of encephalitis disease:
- fever;
- intoxication;
- brain damage;
- meningitis;
- neurological diseases;
- mental disorders;
- death.
Obviously, such parasites are extremely dangerous and unpleasant for humans. A photo of the tick can be seen below.
Parasite plants
All plants according to the method of nutrition autotrophs. So it is considered. However, it turns out that some of them feed heterotrophically, being either parasites or predators. The most common forms that live at the expense of the owner and cause him irreparable harm are:
- broomrape;
- dodder;
- cogwheel;
- mistletoe;
- the rattle is big;
- Rafflesian representatives.
Settling on cultivated plant species, parasites, examples of which are given above, cause serious diseases in them, often leading to death and significantly reducing yields and crops. Therefore, the fight against such organisms is carried out by humans very actively.
Other forms do not settle on cultivated plants, but on any other - trees, shrubs, grasses and so on. And in the same way they cause various diseases in them, they take away nutrients and water, take their lives.
Mistletoe
Typical parasites on trees are mistletoe. The most common form is painted mistletoe. It looks quite magnificent and beautiful, but the owner himself, from whom life juices are sucked, is very pale and dry. Mistletoe weaves its roots into the crown of a tree and thus gains access to all mineral compounds and water.
Outwardly, the mistletoe looks like an evergreen lush flowering bush, located on the branches or crown of the host. What trees are most often affected by this parasite?
- Fruit crops.
- Birch trees.
- Poplars.
- Maples.
- Pines.
- And you.
- False Acacia.
In common people it also has the names of bird glue and oak berries.
Parasite animals
Among animals, the parasitic lifestyle is predominantly worms: round, flat and others. It affects the lungs, heart, digestive organs, circulatory and lymphatic systems, and the liver. The worm adapts to life inside the body in such a way that the owner could not do any harm to it. The parasite has:
- a special membrane that protects from digestion by gastric juice;
- hooks, trailers and other structures for holding and moving;
- simplified organ systems;
- the ability to quickly breed and lay thousands of eggs at a time.
The most common worms that are wound in humans are as follows: lentec, tapeworm and dwarf tapeworm , roundworm, trichinella, dirofilaria, loiasis, schistosome, whipworm, and others.
Often it is children who suffer from parasitic worms, since cleanliness is neglected when playing outdoors. Also, the most popular sources of infection are meat, fish and other protein products that have undergone insufficient heat treatment.