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Multiple Choice

Which statement best contrasts a predator with a parasitoid, with an example?

The center of this idea is how the life cycle uses the host. Predators feed on many prey over their lifetime and typically kill multiple individuals as they pursue food. Parasitoids, in contrast, rely on a single host for the development of their offspring; the parasitoid’s young develop on or inside that one host and, as the life cycle progresses, the host is typically killed. The example with Trichogramma wasps illustrates this: a single host (such as a caterpillar or its eggs) is used for the development of the parasitoid, and the host is sacrificed as the offspring mature. This contrast—many prey versus one host per offspring that is usually killed—is what distinguishes predation from parasitoidism.

The center of this idea is how the life cycle uses the host. Predators feed on many prey over their lifetime and typically kill multiple individuals as they pursue food. Parasitoids, in contrast, rely on a single host for the development of their offspring; the parasitoid’s young develop on or inside that one host and, as the life cycle progresses, the host is typically killed. The example with Trichogramma wasps illustrates this: a single host (such as a caterpillar or its eggs) is used for the development of the parasitoid, and the host is sacrificed as the offspring mature. This contrast—many prey versus one host per offspring that is usually killed—is what distinguishes predation from parasitoidism.