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posted by Fnord666 on Monday August 03 2020, @02:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the figure-out-what's-bugging-you dept.

New studies show how to save parasites and why it's important:

Unlike the many charismatic mammals, fishes and birds that receive our attention (and our conservation dollars), parasites are thought of as something to eradicate—and certainly not something to protect.

But only 4% of known parasites can infect humans, and the majority actually serve critical ecological roles, like regulating wildlife that might otherwise balloon in population size and become pests. Still, only about 10% of parasites have been identified and, as a result, they are mostly left out of conservation activities and research.

An international group of scientists wants to change that. About a dozen leading parasite ecologists, including University of Washington's Chelsea Wood, published a paper Aug. 1 in the journal Biological Conservation, which lays out an ambitious global conservation plan for parasites.

"Parasites are an incredibly diverse group of species, but as a society, we do not recognize this biological diversity as valuable," said Wood, an assistant professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "The point of this paper is to emphasize that we are losing parasites and the functions they serve without even recognizing it."

The authors propose 12 goals for the next decade that could advance parasite biodiversity conservation through a mix of research, advocacy and management.

"Even though we know little to nothing about most parasite species, we can still take action now to conserve parasite biodiversity," said Skylar Hopkins, paper and project co-lead and an assistant professor at North Carolina State University.

[...] Traditionally, the field of disease ecology assumes one of two paths: That we are either heading toward a future of more disease and massive outbreaks or toward a future of parasite extinction. This paper shows that both trajectories are happening simultaneously, Wood explained.

Journal Reference:
Chelsea L. Wood et al. How host diversity and abundance affect parasite infections: Results from a whole-ecosystem manipulation of bird activity, Biological Conservation (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108683


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday August 03 2020, @09:14PM (5 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 03 2020, @09:14PM (#1030934) Journal

    If you've never encountered black market alcohol, you should take up residence in a "dry county" in the US South. Which reminds me of an anecdote:

    De Queen Arkansas has a pretty high Mexican/Latino population. De Queen is in Sevier County, a "dry county". People routinely drive over the Oklahoma state line, where you will find three stores selling alcohol, in the first two or three miles. The owner of one of those beer joints was happy to sell beer, or whatever else, to anyone with green. But, if a Mexican with Arkansas plates bought more than the "legal" supply of alcohol, he would be on the phone informing De Queen police of the make/model/year vehicle, and quantity of alcohol. There was never a phone call regarding a white, or a black person purchasing "too much" alcohol.

    But, yeah, black market alcohol is a thing here in the south.

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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday August 03 2020, @10:36PM (4 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Monday August 03 2020, @10:36PM (#1030965)

    But, yeah, black market alcohol is a thing here in the south.

    I'm sure it is. Those southerners do like to regulate people's behaviour don't they?

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday August 03 2020, @10:59PM (3 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 03 2020, @10:59PM (#1030973) Journal

      Mostly the Baptists, and a few other churches thrown in. They have to save people from themselves.

      In recent years, more and more counties are voting to go "wet". Each county was "authorized" some number of liquor licenses, and they were auctioned off to high bidders. The various churches would bid, and if they won a license, they would put that license somewhere that the sun never shines, and the county would get no beer after all.

      The dummies in Little Rock finally understood what was happening, and decreed that if you didn't USE the license (as intended) within some limited time, it would be revoked, and auctioned off again. I guess the churches can still tie up a license for as much as a year, but they can't get them all, and they can't keep them long.

      Little River county, where I live, has been wet since the 2016 referendum. It's nice - I seldom want a beer, but when I do, it's only a five mile drive to the nearest EZ-Mart, instead of 25 miles into Texas, or going to Oklahoma, where they have near-beer.