Is a healthy ecosystem one that is rich in parasites?

Peter J. Hudson, Andrew P. Dobson, Kevin D. Lafferty

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

670 Scopus citations

Abstract

Historically, the role of parasites in ecosystem functioning has been considered trivial because a cursory examination reveals that their relative biomass is low compared with that of other trophic groups. However there is increasing evidence that parasite-mediated effects could be significant: they shape host population dynamics, alter interspecific competition, influence energy flow and appear to be important drivers of biodiversity. Indeed they influence a range of ecosystem functions and have a major effect on the structure of some food webs. Here, we consider the bottom-up and top-down processes of how parasitism influences ecosystem functioning and show that there is evidence that parasites are important for biodiversity and production; thus, we consider a healthy system to be one that is rich in parasite species.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)381-385
Number of pages5
JournalTrends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume21
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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