The more parasites live longer

The more parasites in the ecosystem, the less likely the hosts will be infected with the parasite. These parasites compete and push each other out of their residence. And so it benefits . the host.

The diversity of parasites reduces the host mortality rate - this paradoxical conclusion is the result of research by researchers at Colorado University (USA).

Biologists analyzed the composition of different flukes living in 134 lakes in California.

The fluke has a very complex life cycle, in one of the life stages of development, they enter the amphibian species.

Fake frogs with dj disease form the limbs caused by trematode parasites.

When the trematodes enter the body of perverted tadpoles, they destroy the process of chi formation, making frogs or no limbs, or excess. It is easy to guess that these individuals do not live long.

The researchers not only analyzed the species composition of trematodes but also compared how they developed in amphibians. Field observations reinforced with experiments.

They tracked 6 different species of trematodes living in parasites in frogs. The results show that if there are 6 species of trematode at the same time, there is a 42% decrease in the probability of parasite infection compared with tadpoles only infected with 1 or 2 species. This means that the more diverse the parasite is, the higher the chances of survival of the host.

In the study published in PNAS, the authors described in detail the relationship between parasites (trematodes) and hosts (amphibians). 95% of frogs are infected with all 6 trematodes but only 2 species, Echinostoma and Ribeiroia, are more dangerous.

Many parasites that compete with each other for food and parasites enter the host earlier will play an important role.

If the dangerous parasite first appears, then the less dangerous species will limit the effect of the head type and push it out of the host. And vice versa if the dangerous parasite enters a host that has less dangerous species than it lives there, it is difficult to work.

The data obtained in addition to the results of other studies demonstrate that the lower the diversity of hosts, the more harmful the parasite is. Broadly speaking, if the number of wild animals decreases, the parasites will be more 'friendly' to find a place to live on people themselves.

Studies similar in this study not only protect amphibians but can also be applied to the biological world including humans.