Barbosa Andrés, Palacios María José
1Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC, C/General Segura, 1, 04001 Almeria, Spain.
2Present Address: Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Polar Biol. 2009;32(8):1095. doi: 10.1007/s00300-009-0640-3. Epub 2009 May 12.
Antarctic birds are not beyond the effects of parasites or pathogens. However, potential ecological consequences of wide-spread infections for bird populations in Antarctica have received little attention. In this paper, we review the information published about disease and parasites, and their effects on Antarctic birds. The information on host species, parasites and pathogens, and geographic regions is incomplete and data on ecological effects on the populations, including how birds respond to pathogens and parasites, are almost inexistent. We conclude that more research is needed to establish general patterns of spatial and temporal variation in pathogens and parasites, and to determine how such patterns could influence hosts. This information is crucial to limit the spread of outbreaks and may aid in the decision-making process should they occur.
南极鸟类也会受到寄生虫或病原体的影响。然而,广泛感染对南极鸟类种群潜在的生态后果却很少受到关注。在本文中,我们回顾了已发表的有关疾病和寄生虫及其对南极鸟类影响的信息。关于宿主物种、寄生虫和病原体以及地理区域的信息并不完整,而关于对种群的生态影响的数据,包括鸟类如何应对病原体和寄生虫的数据几乎不存在。我们得出结论,需要更多的研究来确定病原体和寄生虫在空间和时间上变化的一般模式,并确定这些模式如何影响宿主。这些信息对于限制疫情的传播至关重要,并且在疫情发生时可能有助于决策过程。