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Mistletoe relies on birds to spread to new tree hosts. Since mistletoe is gaining and benefiting from birds, why is mistletoe not considered a parasite of birds?

Answer :

Final answer:

Mistletoe is not considered a parasite of birds because their interaction benefits both parties, fitting more closely with mutualism or commensalism rather than parasitism.

Explanation:

The question asks why mistletoe is not considered a parasite of birds since it uses them to spread to new tree hosts. Mistletoe is not considered a parasite of birds because their relationship does not harm the birds. In fact, birds may benefit from consuming mistletoe berries, gaining nutrition, while the mistletoe benefits from being spread to new locations. This mutual benefit makes their interaction more akin to mutualism or commensalism, rather than parasitism.

Parasitism involves one organism, the parasite, benefitting at the expense of the other, the host, which is not the case with birds and mistletoe. Birds do not face any negative effects from interacting with mistletoe, such as lower fecundity or higher mortality, unlike true parasitic relationships.

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