Introduced marine parasites: A latitudinal perspective
Fowler, A.E.; Pagenkopp Lohan, K.M.; Torchin, M.E.; Blakeslee, A.M.H. (2026). Introduced marine parasites: A latitudinal perspective, in: Byers, J.E. et al. The ecology and evolution of marine parasites and disease. Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series, : pp. 162-180. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197790847.003.0010
In: Byers, J.E.; Blakeslee, A.M.H.; Wares, J.P. (Ed.) (2026). The ecology and evolution of marine parasites and disease. Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series. Oxford University Press: New York. ISBN 9780197790809. 376 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197790847.001.0001, more
In: Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series. Oxford University Press: New York. , more
|
| Author keywords |
spillover, latitudinal gradient, species diversity, Eichler’s rule, range expansion |
| Authors | | Top |
- Fowler, A.E.
- Pagenkopp Lohan, K.M.
- Torchin, M.E.
- Blakeslee, A.M.H.
|
|
|
| Abstract |
Since Alexander von Humboldt first proposed the latitudinal diversity gradient in 1807, it has become one of the most widely recognized patterns in ecology. While most free-living species exhibit strong latitudinal gradients with species diversity increasing toward the equator, latitudinal gradients of parasites and pathogens have been comparatively underexplored, particularly in the oceans. In more recent decades, the movement of organisms to novel locations, either intentionally or not, has undoubtedly influenced species richness and diversity patterns around the globe, including across latitudes. Moreover, climate change has altered species distributions and subsequent community assemblages, causing many species ranges to shift poleward. Past work on free-living species introductions has predicted greater richness of introduced species in temperate versus tropical regions due to stronger biotic interactions in the tropics. Given that most parasites are intimately tied to their free-living host distributions, the authors similarly predict lower richness of introduced parasites in the tropics versus temperate regions due to a combination of greater biotic interactions in the tropics as well as lower propagule pressure (i.e., shipping frequency). They also predict that introduced parasite richness would depend on life-cycle complexity and host specificity. Finally, they predict that these factors would influence the likelihood for an introduced parasite to spillover to native hosts. The chapter enhances understanding of the influence that species introductions have on host and parasite distributions around the world and the mechanisms that help explain these patterns from the tropics to the poles. |
|
