Parasitism

In biology/ecology, parasitism is a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite (in biological usage) referred primarily to organisms visible to the naked eye, or macroparasites (such as helminths). Parasite can include microparasites, which are typically smaller, such as protozoa,viruses, and bacteria. Examples of parasites include the plants mistletoe and cuscuta, and animals such as hookworms.

Unlike predators, parasites typically do not kill their host, are generally much smaller than their host, and will often live in or on their host for an extended period. Both are special cases of consumer-resource interactions. Parasites show a high degree of specialization, and reproduce at a faster rate than their hosts. Classic examples of parasitism include interactions between vertebrate hosts and tapeworms, flukes, the Plasmodium species, and fleas. Parasitism differs from the parasitoid relationship in that parasitoids generally kill their hosts.

Maia

Maia /ˈmaɪ.ə/ may refer to:

Mythology

Literature, fiction and entertainment

Cidade da Maia

Cidade da Maia is a civil parish in the municipality of Maia, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Gueifães, Maia and Vermoim. The population in 2011 was 40,134, in an area of 10.42 km². The parish covers the central area of Maia. In 1902, Maia achieved the status of vila (town). Maia was granted city status (cidade) on 23 August 1986.

Sports

Maia is the hometown of two important sports organizations: the football club FC Maia, and the cycling team União Ciclista da Maia.

References

Maia (Ribeira Grande)

Maia is a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeira Grande in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 1,900, in an area of 21.97 km². Maia is the largest parish by area in Ribeira Grande.

History

The first Azorean historians referred to this parish, owing to the settlement of Inês da Maia, a noblewoman that established a home here in the 15th Century.

The settlement of the community dates back to the early settlement of Ribeira Grande; the construction of the main church was begun at the end of the 15th Century. By 1522, it had its third vicar. Maia became one of the northern coasts more rapidly growing places: one hundred years after its foundation it had become a civil parish. Its fertile terrains, one of the more productive on the island of São Miguel, and its port access, meant that small industry developed easily in this area. In particular, the tobacco, tea and cement industries developed over the course of the next centuries. Maia was also the location and headquarters for one of the first passenger transport companies on the island.