... order to complete its life cycle and reach full maturity it must reach its definite and final host. Parasite - altered behaviour is defined as the way in which the parasite manipulates the behaviour of its intermediate host in order to increase the host's susceptibility of predation and therefore the probability of transmission to a definitive host. There are many different ways in which the behaviour of an animal has been shown to be altered by a parasite which has resulted in the increased predation and vulnerability of the host. It is thought that the parasite's mechanism for manipulating its host's behaviour in order to benefit itself has been an adaptation which has evolved over time through natural selection. However, some factors which change the behaviour of the intermediate host may actually be due to alternative aspects of the host - parasite interaction. A parasite infected animal may have different ...

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