Parasite vulnerability to climate change: an evidence-based functional trait approach

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Parasitology

Background:

• Climate change poses a threat to biodiversity, potentially increasing the spread of virulent pathogens.
• Current conservation tools are often inadequate for assessing climate change impacts on parasites.
• Parasites, despite their ecological importance, are frequently overlooked in conservation planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extinction risk of parasites under climate change.
• To identify biological traits that increase parasite vulnerability to climate change.
• To propose a framework for prioritizing parasite conservation efforts.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing existing literature on parasite biology and climate change.
• Proposing a functional trait approach to assess extinction risk.
• Identifying key knowledge gaps in parasite ecology and conservation.

Main Results:

• Parasites may be as prone to extinction as other trophic groups due to coextinction and climate sensitivity.
• High host specificity, complex life cycles, and narrow climatic tolerance are identified as key vulnerability traits.
• Significant gaps exist in our understanding of parasite biology and ecology.

Conclusions:

• Parasites are a vulnerable group requiring specific conservation considerations.
• A trait-based approach can help identify and prioritize parasite species for conservation.
• Further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps and refine conservation strategies for parasites.