Environmental parasitology: stressor effects on aquatic parasites

Anthropogenic stressors are causing fundamental changes in aquatic habitats and to the organisms inhabiting these ecosystems. Yet, we are still far from understanding the diverse responses of parasites and their hosts to these environmental stressors and predicting how these stressors will affect host-parasite communities. Here, we provide an overview of the impacts of major stressors affecting aquatic ecosystems in the Anthropocene (habitat alteration, global warming, and pollution) and highlight their consequences for aquatic parasites at multiple levels of organisation, from the individual to the community level. We provide directions and ideas for future research to better understand responses to stressors in aquatic host-parasite systems.

Automated summary

Anthropogenic stressors are causing significant changes in aquatic habitats and the organisms living within them. However, we still have limited understanding of how parasites and their hosts respond to these environmental stressors and how the host-parasite communities will be affected. This article provides an overview of the impacts of major stressors in aquatic ecosystems and highlights the consequences for aquatic parasites at different levels. It also suggests future research directions to enhance our understanding of the responses of aquatic host-parasite systems to stressors.