Definition of free-living in English:
free-living
adjective friːˈlɪvɪŋˌfriˈlɪvɪŋ
1Having or characterized by an uninhibited or independent lifestyle.
2Biology
Living freely and independently, not as a parasite or attached to a substrate.
Example sentencesExamples
- The ecological roles of spirochetes are varied; the group includes both aerobic and anaerobic species, and both free-living and parasitic forms.
- The adult parasitoid is free-living, and the main task of females is finding new hosts for the next generation.
- However, exceptionally warm or dry conditions may result in higher mortality rates of the free-living stages of parasites (especially for those with direct life cycles) and offset some of the effects of more rapid development rates.
- Throughout the history of our field, researchers have conducted physiological and behavioral studies of free-living animals using innovative techniques, novel engineering and natural ingenuity.
- Parasitoids are both parasites and free-living predators; they spend part of their lives inside another animal and part on their own.
Definition of free-living in US English:
free-living
adjectiveˌfrēˈliviNGˌfriˈlɪvɪŋ
1Having or characterized by an uninhibited or independent lifestyle.
2Biology
Living freely and independently, not as a parasite or attached to a substrate.
Example sentencesExamples
- Parasitoids are both parasites and free-living predators; they spend part of their lives inside another animal and part on their own.
- The ecological roles of spirochetes are varied; the group includes both aerobic and anaerobic species, and both free-living and parasitic forms.
- The adult parasitoid is free-living, and the main task of females is finding new hosts for the next generation.
- Throughout the history of our field, researchers have conducted physiological and behavioral studies of free-living animals using innovative techniques, novel engineering and natural ingenuity.
- However, exceptionally warm or dry conditions may result in higher mortality rates of the free-living stages of parasites (especially for those with direct life cycles) and offset some of the effects of more rapid development rates.