Parasites are a subgroup of predators that live in close association with their host.
The parasite benefits from the host but typically does not kill the host (note that in many cases, the long-term effects of parasitism will cause mortality).
The reason we say that the relationship between the two organisms is particularly close is due to the fact that the parasite typically lives within or upon the host, making it a form of symbiosis.
Susan Ellis, , www.forestryimages.org
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