Finding them before they find us: Informatics, parasites and environments in accelerating climate change

Authors: BROOKS, DANIEL - University Of Nebraska; Hoberg, Eric; BOEGER, WALTER - Universidade Federal Do Parana; GARDNER, SCOTT - University Of Nebraska; GALBREATH, KURT - Northern Michigan University; HERCZEG, DAVID - Debrecen University; MEJIA-MADRID, HUGO - Autonomous National University Of Mexico; RACZ, GABOR - University Of Nebraska; TSOGTSAIKHAN, AUGGIE - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Comparative Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2014
Publication Date: 7/1/2014
Citation: Brooks, D., Hoberg, E.P., Boeger, W., Gardner, S., Galbreath, K., Herczeg, D., Mejia-Madrid, H., Racz, G., Tsogtsaikhan, A. 2014. Finding them before they find us: Informatics, parasites and environments in accelerating climate change. Comparative Parasitology. 81:155-164.

Interpretive Summary: Parasitology finds itself in a time of exciting possibilities. During the past generation, parasites have become recognized as significant components of biological diversity and as excellent model systems for general evolutionary and ecological studies. Now there is growing interest in parasites as we begin to understand more and more that there is a direct connection between climate change, biodiversity dynamics, and emerging infectious disease. Parasites occupy a central role in efforts to develop proactive protocols for monitoring changes in ecosystem structure and for detecting the potential for emerging disease in resident and colonizing host species, be they human, livestock or wildlife. Parasites, especially those with specialized transmission dynamics, including complex life cycles, are not only agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops and wildlife, they are also powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing this nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, the authors of this article gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 for a workshop to discuss the possibility of a cooperative platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of parasites broadly across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. Parasites are primary components of environmental change and concurrently contribute to developing a nuanced understanding of ecosystems in transition incorporating insights across considerable spatial and temporal scales. Parasites and parasitologists reside at the expanding nexus of interacting crises for biodiversity, climate stability and change, and emerging infectious diseases. The footprint of accelerating climate warming and attendant environmental perturbation constitute a most critical threat to ecosystem integrity and sustainability, the distribution and continuity of biodiversity, socio-economic stability, and changing interfaces and ecotones influencing patterns of disease. The scope, scale and pervasive nature of anthropogenic climate warming anticipates substantial impacts across the biosphere and necessitates an integrative approach to understanding environmental change which incorporates historical and contemporary insights about the factors that have determined the structure and distribution of biodiverse systems. We seek to catalyze discussion and mobilize action within the parasitological community, and more broadly among zoologists and disease ecologists at a time of expanding environmental perturbation.

Technical Abstract: Parasites are agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops and wildlife, and are powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing a nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, the authors of this article gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 to formulate a cooperative platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of parasites broadly across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. A general protocol, DAMA, is our rationale for Documentation-Assessment-Monitoring-Action, an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate and respond to the outcomes of accelerating environmental change. We seek to catalyze discussion and mobilize action within the parasitological community, and more broadly among zoologists and disease ecologists at a time of expanding environmental perturbation.