In biology, describing parasites or fungi that require two different host organisms to complete their life cycle.
From Greek hetero- 'different' and Greek oikos 'house,' meaning different habitats. The term is used in parasitology and mycology to describe obligate multi-host relationships.
Many rusts (fungi) are heteroecious parasites that spend part of their life on wheat and part on barberry bushes—early American farmers didn't understand this, so wheat blights seemed to come out of nowhere until scientists connected the dots.
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