Parasitism has in past and even now regarded as negative relationship. But lot of positive aspects have been revealed in past thanks to eco parasitologists. But still we can still recognize parasitism as a nuisance, though ecologically important. What is your take on this?
I'm not an expert, but the popular science book "Parasite Rex" by Carl Zimmer (http://www.amazon.com/Parasite-Rex-Bizarre-Dangerous-Creatures/dp/074320011X) gave me a completely different perspective on parasites. Based on that book, I would not call them a "necessary evil" but rather an intrinsic part of the ecosystem (in the same way that predators are a "necessary evil").
Parasitism is only a nuisance when it affects human objectives (e.g. diseases in livestock, crops or humans) or when you have invasive parasites that have colonised new areas and are causing devastation to the local ecosystem which is not adapted to cope with them. In most other contexts, I would say that parasites are an important part of ecological processes and I find the field of eco-parasitology fascinating.
Parasitism is not necessarily evil as it can control a certain population from overpopulating, which can have more negative effects. Parasites tend to let their hosts live as long as they can so that they benefit more from it. If they cause the extinction or a massive decline in the population of their host, it would be a disadvantage on their part as they would have to look for a new host.
For me I think it is important to look at evolution in general as something that is not directed towards the good or the evil. Different theories tell us how it can be random or favored based on the environment but there is no mention of direction in the light of goodness and evilness of organisms. I will agree that from a human perspective, parasitism is considered as was mentioned a nuisance in our functions, however in the light of how nature functions there are countless ways how parasitism is both a positive and a negative aspect. As was mentioned, parasites can help control populations and can help regulate balance in ecosystems despite causing death and lowering fitness in organisms. Seeing as how ecology shows us how interconnected every factor is, parasites may indirectly aid in increasing fitness of other organisms such as the prey of the host selected predators. Parasitism is also a source of food for certain organisms such as insectivores and cleaner Wrasse. Furthermore, one can say that in light of diversity parasitism can show us how unique the functions and morphologies of these organisms are and may be possible inspiration for new discoveries and advancements in other fields of sciences.
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Ecology