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The parasite connection in ecosystems and macroevolution
Adolf Seilacher1, Wolf-Ernst Reif, Peter Wenk
1Geology Department Yale University, POB 208109, New Heaven, CT 06520, USA. geodolf@tuebingen.netsurf.de
Die Naturwissenschaften
|November 18, 2006
Summary
Endoparasites, including pathogens, are crucial for maintaining ecosystem stability by regulating host populations. Shifting focus to parasite perspectives reveals their integral role in ecosystem dynamics and long-term stability.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Parasitology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Endoparasites significantly influence animal community structure and function.
- Traditionally viewed negatively as pathogens, parasites are now recognized for their broader ecological roles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the role of endoparasites in ecosystems from a parasite-centric viewpoint.
- To understand how parasites, including non-pathogenic ones, modulate host populations and ecosystem stability.
Main Methods:
- Ecological analysis of host-parasite interactions.
- Examination of parasite influence on population dynamics and predator-prey relationships.
- Consideration of parasite networks in the context of ecosystem stasis and macroevolution.
Main Results:
- Parasites, including "balance strategists," modulate host population densities.
- Heteroxenic parasites regulate predator-prey balances, especially with vertebrate hosts, strengthening ecosystem bonds.
- Parasite networks, due to their inflexibility, may explain ecosystem stasis over geological time despite evolutionary innovation.
Conclusions:
- Parasites are indispensable components of ecosystems, essential for maintaining stability and status quo.
- Parasite-host interactions provide a framework for understanding ecosystem resilience and long-term stability.
- The influence of parasites may extend to macroevolutionary processes, potentially acting as units of selection.
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