heteroecious

British

/ ˌhɛtəˈriːʃəs /

adjective

(of parasites, esp rust fungi) undergoing different stages of the life cycle on different host species Compare autoecious

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heteroecious Scientific

/ hĕt′ə-rē′shəs /

Relating to a parasite that spends different stages of its life cycle on different, usually unrelated hosts. The term is used especially of certain kinds of rust fungi, but may also be applied to other parasites like tapeworms.
Compare autoecious

Other Word Forms

heteroecism

noun

Etymology

Origin of heteroecious

from _hetero- + -oecious, from Greek oikia house

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023