Hudson Peter J, Dobson Andrew P, Lafferty Kevin D
Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2006 Jul;21(7):381-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2006.04.007. Epub 2006 May 18.
Historically, the role of parasites in ecosystem functioning has been considered trivial because a cursory examination reveals that their relative biomass is low compared with that of other trophic groups. However there is increasing evidence that parasite-mediated effects could be significant: they shape host population dynamics, alter interspecific competition, influence energy flow and appear to be important drivers of biodiversity. Indeed they influence a range of ecosystem functions and have a major effect on the structure of some food webs. Here, we consider the bottom-up and top-down processes of how parasitism influences ecosystem functioning and show that there is evidence that parasites are important for biodiversity and production; thus, we consider a healthy system to be one that is rich in parasite species.
从历史上看，寄生虫在生态系统功能中的作用一直被认为微不足道，因为粗略观察会发现，与其他营养级组相比，它们的相对生物量较低。然而，越来越多的证据表明，寄生虫介导的影响可能很显著：它们塑造宿主种群动态、改变种间竞争、影响能量流动，并且似乎是生物多样性的重要驱动因素。事实上，它们影响一系列生态系统功能，并对某些食物网的结构产生重大影响。在这里，我们考虑寄生如何影响生态系统功能的自下而上和自上而下的过程，并表明有证据表明寄生虫对生物多样性和生产力很重要；因此，我们认为一个健康的系统是一个寄生虫物种丰富的系统。
