RENR Test 4 – Revision and Practice Questions
Why does the parasitic flatworm of the amber snail alter the behavior of the snail so that it
moves to the top of a plant stem? - ANS ✔✔The flatworm needs the snail to be eaten by a bird
to complete its life cycle.
What is the difference between Ectoparasites and Endoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Ectoparasites live
on the outside of an organism
Endoparasites live inside organisms
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Ectoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Advantages-
-Little difficulty moving to and from host, for parasite and offspring
-Little exposure to host's immune system
Disadvantages-
-High exposure to natural enemies
-High exposure to external environments
-Little ease of feeding on host
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Endoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Advantages-
-Little exposure to natural enemies
-Little exposure to external environments
-High ease of feeding on host
Disadvantages-
-High difficulty moving to and from host, for parasite and offspring
-High exposure to host's immune system
,What are the Ectoparasites that feed on animals? Which feed on plants? - ANS ✔✔Most are
Arthropods
-Ticks, Mites, Lice, and Fleas
Nematodes and thousands of plant species
What causes a prion, how is it transmitted, and what diseases result from them? - ANS ✔✔Brain
tissue protein folds into incorrect shape and becomes pathogenic
Transmitted through consumption of infected dead or their feces
Causes Mad Cow disease (Cow eats cow, human eats cow)
and Chronic Wasting Disease (deer eat feces, lose weight and eventually die.
What happened to the amphibians exposed to a certain type of fungi? - ANS ✔✔Fungi causes
ion imbalance, causing the heart to stop, and resulting in extinction of dozens of amphibian
species
What are protozoans? What specific disease do they cause? - ANS ✔✔A group of parasites that
can cause a variety of diseases
Malaria
What is a Helminth? - ANS ✔✔Several groups of roundwords and flatworms that can cause
serious diseases
, Describe the concept and what causes an Emerging Infectious Disease to occur - ANS ✔✔A
newly discovered or rare disease that increases in abundance
Occurs when a mutation allows a pathogen to jump to a new host species
What is Horizontal and Vertical Transmission? - ANS ✔✔Horizontal Transmission is when a
parasite moves between individuals other than parents and their offspring
Vertical Transmission occurs when a parasite is transmitted from a parent to it's offspring
What are the different modes of entering a host that parasites use? What are examples of the
different modes? - ANS ✔✔Piercing Tissue (Leeches)
Reliance on a Vector (Malaria)
When a parasite specializes on one host, how can it combat extinction? How do they do this and
what parasites do this? - ANS ✔✔Infecting Multiple Hosts
Ability to jump between hosts
Bird Flu and HIV
What is a reservoir species? - ANS ✔✔Species that carry a parasite but do not succumb to
disease.
How does HIV and schistosome avoid detection by host immune systems? - ANS ✔✔HIV avoids
detection by incorporating itself into chromosomes
Schistosome forms a protective outer layer
Why does the parasitic flatworm of the amber snail alter the behavior of the snail so that it
moves to the top of a plant stem? - ANS ✔✔The flatworm needs the snail to be eaten by a bird
to complete its life cycle.
What is the difference between Ectoparasites and Endoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Ectoparasites live
on the outside of an organism
Endoparasites live inside organisms
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Ectoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Advantages-
-Little difficulty moving to and from host, for parasite and offspring
-Little exposure to host's immune system
Disadvantages-
-High exposure to natural enemies
-High exposure to external environments
-Little ease of feeding on host
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Endoparasites? - ANS ✔✔Advantages-
-Little exposure to natural enemies
-Little exposure to external environments
-High ease of feeding on host
Disadvantages-
-High difficulty moving to and from host, for parasite and offspring
-High exposure to host's immune system
,What are the Ectoparasites that feed on animals? Which feed on plants? - ANS ✔✔Most are
Arthropods
-Ticks, Mites, Lice, and Fleas
Nematodes and thousands of plant species
What causes a prion, how is it transmitted, and what diseases result from them? - ANS ✔✔Brain
tissue protein folds into incorrect shape and becomes pathogenic
Transmitted through consumption of infected dead or their feces
Causes Mad Cow disease (Cow eats cow, human eats cow)
and Chronic Wasting Disease (deer eat feces, lose weight and eventually die.
What happened to the amphibians exposed to a certain type of fungi? - ANS ✔✔Fungi causes
ion imbalance, causing the heart to stop, and resulting in extinction of dozens of amphibian
species
What are protozoans? What specific disease do they cause? - ANS ✔✔A group of parasites that
can cause a variety of diseases
Malaria
What is a Helminth? - ANS ✔✔Several groups of roundwords and flatworms that can cause
serious diseases
, Describe the concept and what causes an Emerging Infectious Disease to occur - ANS ✔✔A
newly discovered or rare disease that increases in abundance
Occurs when a mutation allows a pathogen to jump to a new host species
What is Horizontal and Vertical Transmission? - ANS ✔✔Horizontal Transmission is when a
parasite moves between individuals other than parents and their offspring
Vertical Transmission occurs when a parasite is transmitted from a parent to it's offspring
What are the different modes of entering a host that parasites use? What are examples of the
different modes? - ANS ✔✔Piercing Tissue (Leeches)
Reliance on a Vector (Malaria)
When a parasite specializes on one host, how can it combat extinction? How do they do this and
what parasites do this? - ANS ✔✔Infecting Multiple Hosts
Ability to jump between hosts
Bird Flu and HIV
What is a reservoir species? - ANS ✔✔Species that carry a parasite but do not succumb to
disease.
How does HIV and schistosome avoid detection by host immune systems? - ANS ✔✔HIV avoids
detection by incorporating itself into chromosomes
Schistosome forms a protective outer layer
