Describe the life cycle of a parasite that relies on its host for part of its reproductive cycle.
human and mosquito???
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!:0
I posted an answer below
The life cycle you're referring to is known as an indirect life cycle, where a parasite relies on two or more different hosts for different stages of its reproductive cycle. One example of this is the relationship between humans and mosquitoes, particularly in the transmission of diseases like malaria.
1. Stage 1: Infected Human Host:
The life cycle begins when a mosquito carrying the infective stage of the parasite, called sporozoites, bites and injects them into a human during a blood meal. These sporozoites travel through the bloodstream and reach the liver.
2. Stage 2: Liver Stage:
Inside the human liver, the sporozoites mature and reproduce, forming thousands of new parasites known as merozoites. This stage usually takes several days.
3. Stage 3: Blood Stage:
The matured merozoites are released into the bloodstream from the infected liver cells. They invade and infect red blood cells, where they continue to replicate asexually, causing the destruction of these cells. Some merozoites develop into sexual forms known as gametocytes.
4. Stage 4: Mosquito Host:
When a female mosquito feeds on an infected human, it ingests the gametocytes along with the blood. The gametocytes undergo sexual reproduction within the mosquito, forming male and female gametes.
5. Stage 5: Fertilization:
Sexual reproduction occurs when a male gamete fertilizes a female gamete within the mosquito's gut, forming a zygote. The zygote develops into a motile stage called an ookinete.
6. Stage 6: Mosquito's Gut:
The ookinete penetrates the mosquito's gut wall and transforms into an oocyst. Inside the oocyst, the parasite multiplies and develops into thousands of sporozoites, completing the cycle.
7. Stage 7: Transmission:
The matured sporozoites are released into the mosquito's salivary glands. When the mosquito takes a subsequent blood meal, the sporozoites are injected into the human, restarting the cycle.
It's important to note that this life cycle example is specific to the transmission of malaria through mosquitoes, but there are various other parasites with different life cycles depending on the host they rely on.