Parasite Biodiversity

Abstract

A parasite is an organism that lives in an intimate and durable relationship with its host and imposes a cost on that host, in terms of its ability to survive, grow, and/or reproduce. Despite the fact that more than 40% of animal species are parasites, parasitism is rarely discussed in introductory biology courses. This may be because parasites are often hidden within their hosts—and therefore easy to ignore. But parasites have important roles to play in ecosystems and we ignore them at our own peril. In this module, students have the opportunity to discover the hidden world of parasites: they will come face to face with living parasites, learn about what differentiates parasites from free-living species, observe some common adaptations to a parasitic lifestyle, explore the ecological role of parasites in food webs, and assess how parasite abundance might change in a changing world. To accomplish these goals, this module includes an introductory PowerPoint presentation (including a video of parasite ecologist Dr. Chelsea L. Wood delivering this introductory lecture) and two exercises. The first exercise is a wet lab that involves dissecting an easy (and disturbing) source of live parasite material: fresh fish from your local seafood market. The second exercise is a computer lab that will allow students to engage with real data to answer the question: how do human impacts on ecosystems change the abundance of parasites in wildlife? This module will introduce students to the basics of parasite ecology and provide an opportunity to practice their data analysis and interpretation skills.

Topics & Concepts