An organism living on or in another organism (the host), whose survival is dependent on nutrients from the host. (FAO/WHO. 2022. Antimicrobial Resistance Terms, Joint FAO/WHO Centre (CODEX Food Standards and Zoonotic Diseases) (CJW). https://www.fao.org/3/cb9414en/cb9414en.pdf)
About 1% of flowering plants are parasitic, meaning they extract their food from other plants, their so-called hosts. All parasitic plants possess a special organ, called a haustorium, which attaches to their so-called host plants, penetrates their tissues and draws food and water from them, forming a living physiological bridge between the two plants. (https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/evolution-parasitic-plants)
Two pairs of small oval-shaped glands located in the front and the base of the neck and adjacent to the two lobes of thyroid gland. They secrete parathyroid hormone that regulates the balance of calcium; phosphorus; and magnesium in the body. (MeSH. 2025. Parathyroid Glands. https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/record/ui?ui=D010280)
