Why are decomposers, such as mushrooms, that live on decaying material considered to be heterotrophs and not autotrophs?

parasites can detrimentally affect their host, but also must not allow their host to die before they can complete their life cycle. some parasites have complex life cycles with many different hosts, and have had to find ways of persisting in many different environments during the change from one host to another. ectoparasites live outside the body of the host, and can more easily  disperse, but are  more exposed to predators, parasites, parasitoids. endoparasites live inside the body of the host, and are therefore protected from the outside environment. but they can be  attacked by the host's immune system. they have therefore developed  mechanisms for dispersal such as  complex life cycles.

homeostasis is the tendency towards a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes. and this is how it applies to the integumentary system. back to top. skin functions in homeostasis include protection, regulation of body temperature, sensory reception, water balance, synthesis of vitamins and hormones, and absorption of materials. when body temperature falls, the sweat glands constrict and sweat production decreases.