Yeah, parasites (in limited quantities) help naturally keep populations within carrying capacity

51

I specialize in brood parasitology! while the material is really sad sometimes, they are necessary for keeping carrying capacity. Studying their behaviors are really fascinating actually

35

i meannn some plants (most known would probably be orchids) are epiparasitic/hyperparasitic, so without a parasite to feed on they couldn’t survive

33

Every part of an ecosystem has its place in keeping balance

32

well that includes parasitic plants like Rafflesia i guess so 🤷🏼‍♀️ maybe a little yeah. Earth made it so why not let it be gross nature?

19

Every organism has its place, things like parasites will act as a natural check on our ecosystem.

9

They do population control and quality control. They’re more likely to kill old or sick animals or insects.

6

This is one of my kids special interests.. found some cool books on Anna’s archive

4

They keep the population of other organisms in check. They also can still serve as food sources for other organisms. Not to mention that some of them can be used for controlling invasive species. Also, consider how parasitic humans are to every other living thing. Why should we continue to thrive to the detriment of other organisms? Plus, parasites are more common than you’d think. As in, a good portion of living things, if not a majority of them.

3