When we hear the word “parasite,” it often brings to mind negative images of harmful organisms that can infect our bodies or those of our pets. News stories about parasites usually focus on their threats to human health, infestations in animals, or agricultural losses. However, there’s a lesser-known aspect of parasites that deserves attention: their role in conservation efforts.
It might sound unusual, but conserving wildlife parasites is crucial. When an endangered species goes extinct, the unique parasites that depend on it may also vanish. For instance, in the 1980s, conservationists saved the last 20 California condors by bringing them into captivity and removing their lice. This action led to the extinction of a harmless chewing louse that lived exclusively on these birds. By losing such parasites, we miss opportunities to learn about the host species and their ecosystems.
Collin Carlson, a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, is part of a pioneering effort to conserve parasites. He is involved with the Parasite Extinction Assessment and Red List, the first global database dedicated to parasite conservation. Carlson’s research focuses on understanding how parasites respond to environmental changes, especially in the context of climate change. His work suggests that conserving parasites is not only viable but essential, even as extinction rates rise.
Parasites are incredibly diverse and represent some of the most varied life forms on Earth. They have evolved fascinating survival strategies, and it’s estimated that up to 40% of known species are parasitic. Parasites can be as small as microscopic organisms or as large as visible creatures like lice and fleas. They can live on the host’s body (ectoparasites) or inside it, like tapeworms and roundworms.
Despite their diversity, parasites are often overlooked in research and conservation. Collecting and studying parasites is challenging due to their small size and the specialized methods required for their preservation. Institutions with significant parasite collections often have dedicated specialists, but many museums lack extensive collections or easy access to them.
Parasites play vital roles in ecosystems and food chains. They can regulate wildlife populations and influence the behavior of their hosts. For example, a study found that a nematode parasite drives grasshoppers into water, making them a significant part of the endangered Japanese trout’s diet. Parasites can also impact conservation efforts, as seen with a gut tapeworm that poses a threat to giant pandas.
Parasites are integral to maintaining ecosystem balance. Their extinction could lead to the unchecked spread of other organisms, potentially causing diseases. This is similar to the ecological impact of losing a predator like wolves. Therefore, conserving parasites is crucial for preserving the diversity of life on our planet.
Parasites are more than just pests; they are essential components of biodiversity. As we strive to conserve the planet’s life forms, we must include parasites in our efforts. By understanding and preserving these unique organisms, we can gain valuable insights into ecosystems and the intricate relationships within them.
Choose a specific parasite and research its ecological role and conservation status. Prepare a presentation to share your findings with the class, highlighting why conserving this parasite is important for ecosystem balance.
Analyze the case of the California condor and its lice. Discuss in groups the implications of removing parasites from endangered species and propose alternative conservation strategies that could have been employed.
Visit a local natural history museum with a parasite collection. Observe the diversity of parasites and their hosts. Reflect on the challenges of preserving these collections and their importance in scientific research.
Participate in a debate on the role of parasites in ecosystem management. Argue for or against the inclusion of parasites in conservation priorities, using evidence from recent studies and ecological theories.
Attend a workshop where you learn to identify different types of parasites using microscopes and other tools. Discuss the challenges researchers face in studying parasites and the importance of accurate identification for conservation efforts.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
**Emily:** Parasite – the word sounds unpleasant. We often think of parasites as harmful organisms that can infect our bodies, sometimes without us even realizing it. Most people’s reactions to the topic are either disgust or indifference, which is understandable. When a parasite story makes the news, it’s usually about threats to human health, infestations in pets, or losses in agriculture due to common livestock parasites.
But what if I told you that conservation efforts should also focus on saving wildlife parasites? It may sound strange, but consider this: if an endangered species goes extinct, all the unique mites and tapeworms that lived on that species could also disappear. For example, in the 1980s, conservationists brought the last 20 California condors into captivity to save the species. They were deloused, which led to the extinction of a harmless chewing louse that lived only on California condors. This was detrimental because scientists could have learned a lot about the condors by studying how these mites survived on them without causing harm.
I had some questions about this, so I reached out to Collin Carlson, a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, who is part of the Parasite Extinction Assessment and Red List, the world’s first parasite conservation database.
**Collin:** There is very little evidence on how parasites go extinct, especially in the context of climate change. We decided to conduct a study to see how parasites respond to environmental changes. Four and a half years later, we’ve developed the idea that parasite conservation might actually be a viable effort, even in the face of alarming extinction rates.
**Emily:** You want people to get excited about parasite conservation?
**Collin:** Absolutely! Parasites are incredible; they represent some of the most diverse groups of life on Earth and have fascinating survival strategies. There’s a case to be made that the majority of species on Earth are parasites, yet we know so little about them.
**Emily:** I’m intrigued! I want to learn more about parasites.
In biology, a parasite is an organism that benefits at the expense of another species, its host. Parasitism is a complex relationship, and parasites are not a single group of organisms. They are incredibly diverse. One study estimated that as many as 40% of known species are parasitic. Some are visible to the naked eye, while others are so tiny that you need an electron microscope to see them.
Parasites that live on the host’s body are called ectoparasites, like lice and fleas. Others, like mosquitoes and leeches, occasionally feed on their hosts, while many live inside the body, such as helminths, which include tapeworms and roundworms. One study suggested there could be as many as 300,000 different species of parasitic worms alone, possibly four and a half times more than all vertebrates combined. Recent estimates indicate that about 30% of these parasitic worms and 10% of global parasite diversity are at risk of extinction due to climate change and habitat loss by the year 2070. Despite this diversity, only one parasite is recognized as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: the pygmy hog sucking louse, found only on India’s endangered pygmy hog.
**Emily:** I’m really interested in this topic and want to see some parasites in the collection. To my surprise, Jochen, the Field’s collection manager of invertebrates, shows me this – just five trays in the whole collection. I want to see some parasitic worms.
**Anna:** Hello!
**Emily:** Hi, Anna.
**Anna:** This is Dr. Anna J. Phillips, the curator of the National Parasite Collection in Washington, D.C. Here at the National Museum of Natural History, we have a national parasite collection with about 120,000 specimen lots. However, estimating the total number of individual parasites is challenging because many are microscopic. We estimate there are probably between 20 million and 70 million individuals.
**Emily:** That’s amazing! I was surprised that we don’t have more parasites at the Field Museum, given the number of vertebrates we have. What are some complications in collecting these parasites?
**Anna:** Collecting parasites can be tricky. Many institutions with larger collections have a tradition of focusing on parasites, often having specialists dedicated to this. Additionally, because many parasites are small and soft-bodied, they require special methods for proper collection and preservation.
**Emily:** In the past, the Field Museum has had curators who studied ectoparasites, but more research needs to be done, and the collections aren’t easily accessible.
Parasite research isn’t straightforward. There isn’t a large amateur community for parasites like there is for birds or insects. This is partly because parasites are often small, located inside other animals, and difficult to extract. They are also challenging to identify without access to extensive museum collections.
While some parasites can harm their hosts, the relationships are complex. Many parasites have co-evolved with their hosts for thousands to millions of years, adapting to their interactions. Problems arise when these relationships are disrupted, such as when climate change alters the habitats of wildlife.
Parasites play crucial roles in ecosystems and food chains. For example, one study found that 60% of the endangered Japanese trout’s diet comes from grasshoppers driven to water by a nematode parasite. Parasites can regulate wildlife populations, and some, like a species of gut tapeworm, are now leading causes of death in giant pandas, prompting conservation scientists to study them for potential treatments.
Studying parasites and emerging diseases are interconnected.
**Collin:** Parasites are integral to food webs in ecosystems. If parasites go extinct, it could allow other organisms to invade and cause disease, similar to the effects of missing a predator like wolves in an ecosystem.
**Emily:** We shouldn’t pass judgment on species. If we aim to conserve and study the diversity of life on this planet, it should include all species, including their parasites.
Parasites – Organisms that live on or in a host organism and derive nutrients at the host’s expense. – In studying the impact of parasites on ecosystems, researchers found that they can significantly alter host population dynamics.
Conservation – The protection and preservation of natural resources and environments. – The conservation efforts in the national park have led to a remarkable recovery of the endangered species.
Ecosystems – Communities of living organisms interacting with their physical environment. – The coral reef ecosystems are incredibly diverse and support a wide range of marine life.
Biodiversity – The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. – High biodiversity in tropical rainforests contributes to their resilience against environmental changes.
Extinction – The end of an organism or a group of organisms, typically a species. – The extinction of the dodo bird serves as a historical example of the impact of human activity on wildlife.
Research – The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. – Recent research on climate change has highlighted the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions.
Climate – The long-term pattern of weather conditions in a particular area. – Climate models predict significant changes in precipitation patterns due to global warming.
Wildlife – Animals and plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions. – The sanctuary is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including several endangered species.
Ecological – Relating to the interactions between organisms and their environment. – Ecological studies have shown the importance of keystone species in maintaining ecosystem balance.
Diversity – The range of different species and genetic variations within an ecosystem. – Genetic diversity within a population can increase its resilience to environmental changes.
