Journal ArticleDOI
Diverse effects of parasites in ecosystems: linking interdependent processes
TLDR
It is recognized that parasites influence species coexistence and extirpation by altering competition, predation, and herbivory, and that these effects can, in turn, influence ecosystem properties.Abstract:
Community ecologists generally recognize the importance of species – such as pollinators – that have clear positive effects within ecosystems. However, parasites – usually regarded in terms of their detrimental effects on the individuals they infect – can also have positive impacts on other species in the community. We now recognize that parasites influence species coexistence and extirpation by altering competition, predation, and herbivory, and that these effects can, in turn, influence ecosystem properties. Parasites and pathogens act as ecosystem engineers, alter energy budgets and nutrient cycling, and influence biodiversity. Equally, because ecosystem properties – such as biodiversity – affect parasite populations, there is the potential for feedback between parasitism and ecosystem states. Using examples from animal and plant systems, we examine this potential bidirectional interdependence and challenge the conventional wisdom that parasites have only negative or inconsequential impacts on ecological communities.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Indirect effects of parasites in invasions
Alison M. Dunn,Mark E. Torchin,Melanie J. Hatcher,Melanie J. Hatcher,Peter M. Kotanen,Dana M. Blumenthal,James E. Byers,Courtney A. C. Coon,Victor M. Frankel,Victor M. Frankel,Robert D. Holt,Ruth A. Hufbauer,Andrew Kanarek,Kristina A. Schierenbeck,Lorne M. Wolfe,Sarah E. Perkins +15 more
TL;DR: The indirect effects of parasitic infection are important at a range of biological scales from within a host to the whole ecosystem in determining invasion success and impact, and requires an interdisciplinary approach by ecologists and parasitologists across animal and plant systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Microsporidia: diverse, dynamic, and emergent pathogens in aquatic systems.
TL;DR: Hyperparasitism and the close phylogenetic relationship between taxa infecting invertebrates and vertebrates not only underline a ubiquity in aquatic systems but also potential for zoonotic transfer.
Journal ArticleDOI
Parasites and biological invasions: parallels, interactions, and control
TL;DR: This work examines how two key processes of redistribution - biological invasion and disease emergence - are interlinked, and calls for international policy that acknowledges the strong links between emerging diseases and invasion risk.
Journal ArticleDOI
Neglected wild life: Parasitic biodiversity as a conservation target.
Andrés Gómez,Elizabeth Nichols +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that wildlife parasites should be considered meaningful conservation targets no less relevant than their hosts, and outline a series of non-trivial challenges to consider before incorporating parasite biodiversity in conservation strategies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Impact of parasites on salmon recruitment in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean
TL;DR: Experimental evidence is provided from a large marine ecosystem that parasites can have large impacts on fish recruitment, fisheries and conservation.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
A review of trait-mediated indirect interactions in ecological communities
Earl E. Werner,Scott D. Peacor +1 more
TL;DR: The case for the broad mechanistic basis for TMIIs is developed and the direct evidence for T MIIs in various permutations of simple three- to four-species food webs is reviewed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Impacts of biodiversity on the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases
Felicia Keesing,Lisa K. Belden,Peter Daszak,Andrew P. Dobson,C. Drew Harvell,Robert D. Holt,Peter J. Hudson,Anna E. Jolles,Kate E. Jones,Charles E. Mitchell,Samuel S. Myers,Tiffany L. Bogich,Richard S. Ostfeld +12 more
TL;DR: Overall, despite many remaining questions, current evidence indicates that preserving intact ecosystems and their endemic biodiversity should generally reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases.
Journal ArticleDOI
Introduced species and their missing parasites
TL;DR: The number of parasite species found in native populations is twice that found in exotic populations, and introduced populations are less heavily parasitized than are native populations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Release of invasive plants from fungal and viral pathogens
TL;DR: Broad, quantitative support is reported for two long-standing hypotheses that explain why only some naturalized species have large impacts against native species, and indicates that invasive plants' impacts may be a function of both release from and accumulation of natural enemies, including pathogens.
Journal ArticleDOI
Plant-Soil Feedbacks: A Meta-Analytical Review
TL;DR: The hypothesis that plant-soil feedback, through negative frequency dependence, maintain plant diversity, especially in grasslands is supported, and the hypotheses that PSFs encourage successional replacements and plant invasions are supported.
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