Re:A third of parasite species could vanish
by ufo on Sunday September 10, 2017 @11:27AM
(#15212592)
In many ecological systems parasites really are the "top predator" that keeps a population in check. If you take away the parasites there are no other predator to take that ecological role and keep things in check.
Another important aspect of parasites is that they usually only parasitise a specific species. One place where this makes a big difference is agricultural pest control. Attempts to suppress agricultural pests by introducing predators often backfire because the predator might also eat native species or itself become a pest (like the Cane Toad in Australia). Biocontrol with parasitic wasps, on the other hand, is much more targeted: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100719-paras...
Another important aspect of parasites is that they usually only parasitise a specific species. One place where this makes a big difference is agricultural pest control. Attempts to suppress agricultural pests by introducing predators often backfire because the predator might also eat native species or itself become a pest (like the Cane Toad in Australia). Biocontrol with parasitic wasps, on the other hand, is much more targeted: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100719-paras...