Systemic collapse of a host-parasite trematode network associated with wetland birds in Europe.

Abstract

As host community diversity decreases, parasite diversity may also decline. The life cycles of trematodes involve multiple hosts from different orders, with many trematodes displaying narrow host specialization. In the 1960s and 2010s, we performed full-body necropsies of juvenile or first-year birds of four wetland bird species, Anas platyrhynchos, Aythya fuligula, Fulica atra, and Chroicocephalus ridibundus which originated from the southern Czech Republic, and examined them for the presence of trematodes. We compared the trematode species richness and diversity of the analyzed component communities. We found complete disintegration of host-parasite networks, which led to declining populations and local extinctions of the majority of trematode species, particularly those with narrow host preferences. For example, in black-headed gulls, 67% of trematode species recorded in the 1960s were absent in gulls that were examined in the 2010s. In contrast, we did not identify any trematode species that were absent in the 1960s but present in the 2010s. This collapse provides new insight into the recent debate regarding whether human-caused extinctions should be considered a problem when locally extinct host species are replaced by an equal or even higher number of nonnative species, thus maintaining local alpha diversities but leading to biotic homogenization and consequently reducing beta diversity. By documenting the collapse of the host-parasite network, we provide a strong argument that biodiversity cannot be assessed by simple measures alone, as only local-scale conservation measures allow the preservation of host-pathogen interactions and nutrient cycles and thus prevent the loss of low-visibility species, such as helminths.