An obligate parasite is a parasitic organism that cannot live independently of its host.

[edit] References

• Serge, Morand. et al. (1996). "Body size evolution of oxyurid (Nematoda) parasites: the role of hosts". Oecologia 107 (2): 274–282. doi:10.1007/BF00327912. 
• Lenoir, A. et al. (2001). "Chemical ecology and social parasitism in ants". Annual Review of Entomology 46: 573–599. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.46.1.573. 
• Trontti, Kalevi, Aron, Serge and Sundström, Liselotte (2006). "The genetic population structure of the ant Plagiolepis xene - implications for genetic vulnerability of obligate social parasites". Conservation Genetics 7 (2): 241–250. doi:10.1007/s10592-005-9003-y. 

[edit] See also

• Obligate intracellular parasite
• Parasitism
• Parasitic plant

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