Do parasites matter? Infectious diseases and the conservation of host populations

Abstract

Paraziti su organizmi koji žive na račun drugog organizma. Njihov najizravniji utjecaj vidljiv je kroz epidemije i bolesti koje izazivaju. Međutim to nije i jedini njihov utjecaj. Iako često zanemareni paraziti djeluju kao regulatori populacija i bioraznolikosti. Njihov učinak može biti pozitivan ali i negativan za domaćinsku populaciju. Oni su i jedinice bioraznolikosti pa će njihovo istrebljenje (kojem najčešće težimo) također izravno (ali i neizravno) utjecati na biorazolikost. Važno je naglasiti da je potreba za istraživanjem utjecaja parazita na domaćinske populacije velika, pogotovo ako se radi o parazitima koji “napadaju” ugrožene vrste. Najpopularniji pristup u konzervacijskoj biologiji za sada je istrebljenje samih parazita, no koje sve posljedice takav pristup ima ne znamo, kao što nismo sigurni ni kako paraziti konvergiraju s ostalim uzrocima smrtnosti u domaćinskim populacijama. S obzirom na toliko nepoznanica možda bismo trebali usvojiti neintervencijsku strategiju kada su u pitanju parazitske bolesti divljih populacija.Parasites are organisms that live on a cost of another. Their impact on host populations is visible due to epidemics and diseases they cause. They also act as population regulators. Aldo often neglected they play a big role in conservation biology and biodiversity. Sometimes their impact can be positive, causing increase in biodiversity but can also be negative, causing decrease in biodiversity. The affects on host populations can also be positive and negative, depending on numerous factors. Parasites themselves are units of biodiversity , as such their eradication is not the best way for us to be manipulating host populations. It´s important to say that the role that parasites play in regulating host populations (especially endangered species) and biodiversity is not clear, there are many questions yet to be answered. We are also unfamiliar with all consequences of interaction of parasitic disease and other factors of mortality. Considering all these unknowns perhaps conservation practitioners should adopt a noninterventionist strategy for managing disease outbreaks in wildlife populations