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Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates
Sonia Altizer1, Charles L Nunn, Patrik Lindenfors
1Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. saltizer@uga.edu
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|February 17, 2007
Summary
Threatened primate species harbor fewer parasite species, indicating that conservation efforts may also protect parasite biodiversity. This study highlights the interconnectedness of host health and parasite richness in conservation biology.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Biology
- Parasitology
- Primate Ecology
Background:
- Parasites and infectious diseases are significant threats to species and populations, impacting conservation biology.
- Primates serve as a well-studied host group for examining host-parasite dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if parasite species richness and prevalence differ between threatened and non-threatened primate species.
- To understand the relationship between host threat status and parasite biodiversity.
Main Methods:
- Compiled data on 386 parasite species infecting 36 threatened and 81 non-threatened wild primate species.
- Controlled for uneven sampling effort and host phylogeny in analyses.
- Examined parasite prevalence in primate sister-taxa with differing threat statuses.
Main Results:
- Threatened primates exhibited lower total parasite species richness, consistent across helminths, protozoa, and viruses.
- Parasite richness patterns were not significantly influenced by transmission mode or host specificity.
- No significant differences in parasite prevalence were found between threatened and non-threatened host taxa.
Conclusions:
- This is the first study to show a link between host threat status and parasite richness.
- Human activities and host traits increasing extinction risk may lead to parasite loss.
- Lower parasite richness in threatened primates underscores the need to study cascading effects of biodiversity loss on associated parasite species.
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