amandajohnson15
Gross Science
This parasitic roundworm was found in the digestive track of a Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, at the Benthic Ecology Lab. They are a common parasite among this species. In an aquatic environment, roundworms use fish as an intermediate host. Usually, their larvae or eggs will be ingested by the fish and then live in the fish's digestive tract absorbing stolen nutrients until the fish is consumed by a definitive host, usually a fish-eating fish, bird, or mammal. In the definitive host, the roundworm will live out the rest of its life and reproduce. In this case, because the roundworm was found no longer in the larvae stage but fully matured, it can be assumed that the Mummichog, being a small fish, was used as a paratenic host, which is not required for completion of the nematode life cycle, but can still serve as a host if a definitive host does not ingest the little fish. Though this whole process may seem gruesome, it is a prime example of the symbiotic relationship parasitism.
Gross Science
This parasitic roundworm was found in the digestive track of a Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, at the Benthic Ecology Lab. They are a common parasite among this species. In an aquatic environment, roundworms use fish as an intermediate host. Usually, their larvae or eggs will be ingested by the fish and then live in the fish's digestive tract absorbing stolen nutrients until the fish is consumed by a definitive host, usually a fish-eating fish, bird, or mammal. In the definitive host, the roundworm will live out the rest of its life and reproduce. In this case, because the roundworm was found no longer in the larvae stage but fully matured, it can be assumed that the Mummichog, being a small fish, was used as a paratenic host, which is not required for completion of the nematode life cycle, but can still serve as a host if a definitive host does not ingest the little fish. Though this whole process may seem gruesome, it is a prime example of the symbiotic relationship parasitism.