Parasitic Nutrition For Grade 7: Amazing Insights About Parasites You Must Know

Parasitic nutrition is a way in which some living things get their food by depending on other living organisms. The organism that feeds is called a parasite, and the one it feeds on is called the host. Parasites take their food from the host and may harm it while surviving.

In this article, you will learn about parasitic nutrition, the different types of parasites, examples in plants and animals, and how it affects the host and the environment.

Table of Contents 

• The Science of Parasitic Nutrition
• Types of Parasitic Plants

The Science of Parasitic Nutrition

In this kind of nutrition, one organism derives its nourishment from another organism (host). Such organisms that derive nutrition from other organisms are termed as parasites.

There are two types of parasites:

a. Exoparasite: Parasite that lives outside the body of other organisms.Example: lice on scalp of humans, leeches, bed bugs, etc.

b. Endoparasite: Parasite that lives inside the body of other organisms. Example: Tapeworm in the alimentary canal of humans.

Now, let us explore the two types of parasitic plants.

Types of Parasitic Plants

Parasitic Plants are plants that cannot get all their food on their own. They depend on other plants, called hosts, to get water, nutrients, and sometimes minerals. Some parasitic plants fully rely on their host, while others can make a little of their own food.

Now that we understand how parasitic plants survive, let’s see the different types of parasitic plants.

1. Total parasite

A total parasite is completely dependent on the host for its nourishment. Cuscuta (Dodder or Amarbel) is an example of a total parasite.

It can be seen in the form of yellow tubular structures twining around the stems and branches of the plant. It lacks chlorophyll and hence cannot prepare its own food. It is totally dependent on the host on which it grows for its nourishment. As it weakens the growth of its host plant, the agriculturists consider Cuscuta as a ‘destructive weed’.

2. Partial parasite

A partial parasite is partially dependent on the host for its nourishment. Mistletoe (Viscum) is an example of the partial parasite. It has chlorophyll and hence can prepare its own food. 

It is dependent on the host (example: Western Australian Christmas tree) for getting water and minerals. Viscum is attached to the roots of host plants with the help of haustoria (root-like structure) to get water and minerals.

As we learned, Parasitic Nutrition is when living things get their food from other organisms. Some parasitic plants, like Cuscuta and Mistletoe, depend on their host for nutrients. Even though they may harm the host, they show how living things survive and depend on each other.