Question

What are ectoparasites and endoparasites?

Answer 1

A parasite is a plant or animal which mainly feeds on other living organisms called its host for food and shelter. A parasite receives its food from the host but gives no benefit in return. It usually harms the host by reducing the survival of living, growth and reproduction process and making the host physically weak by this population decrease. The host may be a plant or animal.

Complete answer:
Parasites can be divided into two parts-
Endoparasite – These types of parasites live in the body of the host at different sites like kidney, liver, etc. for their food and shelter. They live permanently in the body of the host and their respiration process is anaerobic. These parasites harm the host seriously and even lead to death of the host by evading the whole immune system of the host.
For example – liver fluke, Plasmodium ,, etc.
Ectoparasite – These types of parasites live on the external surface of the host for their food and shelter. They can be permanent or temporary live in the body of the host and their respiration is aerobic. They cause less as compared to the endoparasites to the host organism and they are affected by the environmental conditions and do not harm the immune system of the host organism.
For example – Cuscuta , lice on humans, etc.

Note:
Parasites show the parasitic mode of nutrition. Some parasites have a complex life cycle where one or more host organisms are present.
Example- human liver fluke depends on a snail and a fish (two host organisms), to complete their life cycle.
Plasmodium , is a malaria parasite that needs a vector for the completion of its life cycle.