Parallel Worlds Series — Chapter 1
The Deadliest Parasites — Modern Homo sapiens
As we turn the page to a new chapter and embrace new beginnings, I am launching a blog series called “Parallel Worlds”, in my efforts to remind each other of our interconnectedness and interdependence on the natural world. As a biologist, I couldn’t think of a better way to establish this link than by drawing the parallels between the natural and human worlds. This, I hope, will help us understand our own creative and destructive powers, and inspire us to adapt to the evolving world.
So, let’s get to the basics. All organisms are in some kind of a symbiotic relationship — a close association between two species — either beneficial or neutral or harmful.
Saprophytic relationship involves the dependence of a living animal on the dead. And saprophytes are creatures that feed on dead organisms. Also known as scavengers, they feed on decomposed animals or plants and in the process break down organic matter into simpler particles, which get recycled in the soil.
Animals like hyenas, birds like vultures, and organisms like mushrooms, molds and fungi play an important role, not only by cleaning up the space, but also by providing nutrients that aid in plant and tree growth.
There are also human scavengers, forced into scavenging due to poverty and homelessness. But they play a key role in cleaning up the space by garbage picking. Next time we meet a homeless person, let’s remember his/her role.
Commensalism is a form of symbiotic relationship in which some organisms feed off of other living creatures without harming or benefiting the host. Neither of them wins or loses.
Egrets get free rides on elephants or rhinos and feed on the dung mites. In this situation egrets benefit, and although they don’t give anything back in return, they don’t harm the host either.
Well, there are commensals in the human world too. Have you come across people who only take but never give? There is no reciprocity, but at least we can take comfort in knowing that the person is harmless.
Whereas unlike any of the above relationships, Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship in which the guest harms or kills the host. Parasites are organisms that not only feed off the hosts but also harm them, sometimes even kill the host.
Thus, parasites benefit, but in the process they destroy the very source that offers the benefits. Would it not be in the parasite’s best interest to protect the host upon whom the parasite depends? But the parasite is so consumed in consuming the host that it doesn’t realize, without the host the parasite will also eventually die.
Tapeworms survive by eating the host’s digested food, depriving the host of key nutrients necessary for survival, and in rare cases even kill the host by blocking the digestive tracts. Fleas and barnacles suck food/ blood from the host, causing itchiness and irritation, and in serious cases prove to be fatal.
I submit that modern homo sapiens are also displaying these parasitic tendencies, destroying the very source that gives us life. They are the most ignorant guests that are destroying the most gracious host. Just like the parasites, humans are so consumed by their insatiable greed for material wealth, power and selfish gains that they can’t even stop for a moment to realize that by destroying this magnificent host, we are causing our own destruction. Let’s unpack this idea using some examples:
- Humans are bulldozing vast swaths of forest like there’s no tomorrow. This, despite the fact that trees give us oxygen (that we need to survive) and absorb carbon-dioxide that we put into the atmosphere, acting as natural air purifiers. But humans turn around and destroy this life-giving source to cultivate crops, extract mines, develop roads and railways, and more to sustain the growing human population. And here’s the icing on the cake, most decision makers are so ignorant that they believe if an area of land is not being utilized to meet human needs, i.e. develop, it is unproductive. They are totally oblivious to the intrinsic benefits that forests and wildlife offer to sustain humanity. What a tragic paradox!
- It has been proven scientifically that elephants are climate mitigators. As the largest living land mammal, it is the only animal that has the dexterity and strength to trample softwood trees, allowing rain and sunlight to reach the soil and nourish the hardwood trees. So, why is this important? Hardwood trees sequester more CO2 — a potent greenhouse gas that exacerbates climate change. You would think that this scientific reasoning would be enough to ensure that elephants remain in the forests. However, these giants are not only being poached at an unprecedented rate, but also being captured for human entertainment, and to create cultural artifacts, thereby disrupting the global forest ecosystems.
- It is a fact that the loss of biodiversity will destroy the entire web of life, potentially leading to the implosion of human species. But ironically, even some prominent conservation organizations are promoting hunting in the name of conservation. Why? So these organizations can receive funds from the hunting clubs, while selfish modern Homo sapiens can enjoy a few moments of cheap thrill. Poachers are decimating lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, and other wild animals, so their body parts can be sold to prepare fake medicines or cultural artifacts and make money.
Modern homo sapiens are shaping to be a deadly parasite, pushing other species closer to the brink of extinction, while digging their own graves.
The good news is, we are intelligent enough to turn to nature’s intelligence, and learn to thrive together by emulating and fostering mutually beneficial relationships that are displayed in the natural world. It is called Mutualism, a type of symbiotic relationship in which the partner species benefit from each other. In other words, they give and take. Reciprocity is the most productive relationship in the natural world.
“A mutualistic relationship is when two organisms of different species “work together,” each benefiting from the relationship.”
There are several examples in the natural world, but the one that everyone can relate to is the relationship between bees and flowers. Bees fly from one flower to another, gathering nectar to make food, while at the same time collecting pollen grains on their hairy bodies, which get deposited on the next flower they land on, thus helping with pollination. Bees get their food, while the flowers get to reproduce, making it a win-win situation.
These are but four basic relationships found in the natural world, mirroring the relationships that exist in the human world. However, humans have turned to parasitical tactics and are harming the host that supports their own survival. They seem to have forgotten the basic survival mechanism — mutualism, inherent in us. It is about time we awakened this trait that has gone to sleep over the years.
In my next blog we will explore the factors that got us to this point, and then discuss ways to weave together a tapestry that will reconnect us with our primal nature, and foster mutually beneficial relationships. This is necessary because only collectively can we protect our one and only home, the endangered Asian elephants and all vulnerable species, whose survival is vital to our own survival.
Source:
APA (American Psychological Association)
Different Types of Organisms. (2018). In ScienceAid. Retrieved Dec 24, 2021, from https://scienceaid.net/Different_Types_of_Organisms
MLA (Modern Language Association)”Different Types of Organisms.” ScienceAid, scienceaid.net/Different_Types_of_Organisms Accessed 24 Dec 2021.
