Coprophagous Insects and the Ecology of Infectious Diseases of Wildlife

摘要: A diversity of macro- and microparasitic species exert strong influences on wildlife population density, community structure, ecosystem functioning, all through their impacts individual host fitness. Through consuming, manipulating, relocating feces, over 7,000 coprophagous dung beetles interact with a staggering parasites fecal-oral transmission in ways that both increase decrease transmission. Here, we review the mechanisms by which influence micro- macroparasite outline future research framework integrates theory empirical insights to advance our understanding how these relationships may ongoing environmental change drivers further populations structure. Any organism significantly parasite will impact multiple levels biological organization. Therefore, improving role beetle interactions within disease ecology be key efforts understand overall dynamics infection contribute maintenance structure function evolutionary processes wild animals.