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Introduction
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Publications (34)
Parasite species frequently co‐occur more or less than expected by chance. These nonrandom co‐occurrence patterns can be driven by pre‐ or postinfection priority effects: parasites are more or less likely to attempt infection in a host already infected by another parasite species or may have higher or lower establishment and survival in hosts alrea...
Many taxa around the globe are threatened by often unexplained mass mortality events (MMEs), which can decimate populations and compromise key ecosystem functions. One example of a highly threatened taxon facing frequent MMEs is freshwater mussels (Unionida).
There has been a recent increase in interest in understanding the causes of freshwater mus...
Plant enemies can influence plant community assembly and structure. However, it is unclear how insect herbivores and fungal pathogens affect seedling recruitment. Complex interactions with competition and resource availability make it difficult to isolate the effect of enemies. This uncertainty can impede understanding of community assembly drivers...
Numerous policy and international frameworks consider that “destructive fishing” hampers efforts to reach sustainability goals. Though ubiquitous, “destructive fishing” is undefined and therefore currently immeasurable. Here we propose a definition developed through expert consultation: “Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrec...
Understanding the ecological assembly of parasite communities is critical to characterise how changing host and environmental landscapes will alter infection dynamics and outcomes. However, studies frequently assume that (a) closely related parasite species or those with identical life-history strategies are functionally equivalent, and (b) the sam...
The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) is the best-known hypothesis explaining high performance (e.g. rapid population growth) of exotic species. However, the current framing of the ERH does not explicitly link evidence of enemy release with exotic performance. This leads to uncertainty regarding the role of enemy release in biological invasions. Here,...
1. The enemy release hypothesis is a popular hypothesis to explain the success of invasive plants. Enemy release studies typically focus on single species or types of communities, feature indirect experimental manipulations that apply pesticides to whole communities not individual species, and only examine responses of established plants or plant p...
The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) is the best-known hypothesis explaining high performance (e.g., rapid population growth) of exotic species. However, the current framing of the ERH does not explicitly link evidence of enemy release with exotic performance. This leads to uncertainty regarding the role of enemy release in biological invasions. Here...
Darwin’s theory of natural selection provides two seemingly contradictory hypotheses for explaining the success of introduced species: 1) the pre-adaptation hypothesis posits that introduced species that are closely related to native species will be more likely to succeed than distantly related invaders because they already possess relevant charact...
The biodiversity‐disease relationship states that increased species richness leads to lower pathogen pressure (i.e. the dilution effect), an effect that erodes with biodiversity loss. However, whether losses of the dilution effect can trigger extinction cascades remains largely unexplored.
To explore this idea, we consider declines in freshwater mu...
It is common in ecology for the relationship between two variables to differ (or appear to differ) depending on the circumstances under which the relationship is observed. This ‘context dependence’ can harm attempts at ecological synthesis and may be caused by a variety of factors. In this chapter, we explore how study scale can create context depe...
Parasites stabilise food webs and facilitate species coexistence but can also lead to population- or species-level extinctions. So, in biodiversity conservation, are parasites friends or foes? This question is misleading: it implies that parasites are not part of biodiversity. Greater integration of parasites into global biodiversity and ecosystem...
Understanding how ecological communities are assembled remains a key goal of ecosystem ecology. Because communities are hierarchical, factors acting at multiple scales can contribute to patterns of community structure. Parasites provide a natural system to explore this idea, as they exist as discrete communities within host individuals, which are t...
Parasite conservation is important for the maintenance of ecosystem diversity and function. Conserving parasites relies first on understanding parasite biodiversity and second on estimating the extinction risk to that biodiversity. Although steps have been taken independently in both these areas, previous studies have overwhelmingly focused on helm...
Parasites can indirectly affect ecosystem function by altering host phenotype, but the trait‐mediated impacts of parasitism at an ecosystem level remain poorly characterised. However, understanding the influence of parasites is central to understanding the ecosystem services provided by host species, especially in an era of global environmental cha...
The term 'destructive fishing' appears in multiple international policy instruments intended to improve outcomes for marine biodiversity, coastal communities and sustainable fisheries. However, the meaning of 'destructive fishing' is often vague, limiting effectiveness in policy. Therefore, in this study, we systematically reviewed the use of 'dest...
• Parasites can negatively affect hosts at individual, population, and species-level scales. However, the link between individual- and population-level impacts is often poorly understood. In particular, the population-level response to parasitism may alter wider ecosystem dynamics if animals with ecosystem engineering capabilities are infected.
• H...
Presence–absence data holds less information about communities than abundance data (Blanchet et al. 2020).
However, presence–absence data is often all community
ecologists have to work with. The relationship between
presence–absence and abundance data is especially relevant
in parasitological studies, as it is often difcult to count
parasites. Rece...
Parasites can be studied with respect to their spatial distribution, abundance and diversity (a parasite-centric view), or with respect to their effects on host individuals, populations, communities and the wider ecosystem (a host-centric view). The former contributes to understandings of what drives parasite community structure across scales, whil...
Tackling the global problem of 'destructive fishing' is central to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 'Life Below Water', yet the term remains vague, making it difficult to track and quantify progress. Here we evaluate the frequency and range of uses of the term 'destructive fishing' across the peer reviewed literature and media....
Freshwater mussels are one of the most endangered animal groups globally, making them a high conservation priority. Conservationists increasingly employ translocation or captive breeding procedures to support ailing populations, and the ecosystem engineering capabilities of mussels are being increasingly harnessed in bioremediation projects. Howeve...
Understanding how environmental drivers influence the assembly of parasite communities, in addition to how parasites may interact at an infracommunity level, are fundamental requirements for the study of parasite ecology. Knowledge of how parasite communities are assembled will help to predict the risk of parasitism for hosts, and model how parasit...
• Bivalves are important ecosystem engineers, and there is emerging evidence that many species are afflicted with castrating parasites. Understanding the prevalence of these largely overlooked parasites is crucial in understanding the fundamental biology of bivalves, informing conservation efforts, and providing a wider understanding of host–parasi...
Parasitic castration of bivalves by trematodes is common, and may significantly reduce the reproductive capacity of ecologically important species. Understanding the intensity of infection is desirable, as it can indicate the time that has passed since infection, and influence the host's physiological and reproductive response. In addition, it is u...
Understanding how environmental drivers influence the construction of parasite communities, in addition to how parasites may interact at an infracommunity level, are fundamental requirements for the study of parasite ecology. Knowledge of how parasite communities are assembled will help to predict the risk of parasitism for hosts, and model how par...
Endosymbionts can often have profound impacts on the growth, reproduction and survivorship of their hosts. Freshwater unionid mussels (Unionida) are important ecosystem engineers, and one of the most globally imperilled taxa, yet evidence concerning their endosymbiotic fauna remains patchy. Further, endosymbionts are not considered in an IUCN asses...
Coral reefs rely on their intracellular dinoflagellate symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) for nutritional provision in nutrient-poor waters, yet this association is threatened by thermally stressful conditions. Despite this, the evolutionary potential of these symbionts remains poorly characterised. In this study, we tested the potential for diverg...
Coral reefs rely on their intracellular dinoflagellate symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) for nutritional provision in nutrient-poor waters, yet this association is threatened by thermally stressful conditions. Despite this, the evolutionary potential of these symbionts remains poorly characterised. In this study, we tested the potential for diverg...
Coral reefs rely on their intracellular dinoflagellate symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) for nutritional provision in nutrient-poor waters, yet this association is threatened by thermally stressful conditions. Despite this, the evolutionary potential of these symbionts remains poorly characterised. In this study, we tested the potential for diverg...
To persist in oligotrophic waters, reef-building corals rely on nutritional interactions with symbiotic dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae, but the true diversity of this family remains poorly characterised. In this paper, we assess Symbiodiniaceae richness at Atauro Island (Timor-Leste) as well as on reefs of the neighbouring Timor main...
Reef-building corals are nutritionally dependent on the symbiotic alga Symbiodinium and may therefore select for high-performing symbiont lineages. However, the effects of fine-scale genetic variation within symbiont populations on host performance are not well understood. Applying quantitative PCR (qPCR) to Pocillopora damicornis colonies from Lor...
Questions
Questions (2)
I have found several nematodes in freshwater samples; these are not part of my main project (hence I only have a few photos), but I would be interested to identify them nonetheless. Most diagnostic features that appear in keys can't really be seen on the images; however, if anyone is able to provide some sort of taxonomic resolution (even just to order level), that would be much appreciated! Each photo represents 1630 x 917um.
I have several photographs of what I believe to be a cercarial/redial stage of a digenean trematode inside the gonad of the freshwater snail Lymnaea sp. I am hoping that someone will be able to confirm this/provide further guidance as to the identification, as I am struggling to find appropriate resources! In both photographs, the (putative) trematode is ~300um long. Any advice much appreciated.
