Recent research conducted by SFI External Professors Andrew Dobson and Jim Brown in three California estuaries documents the surprisingly small number of parasites within the ecosystems, even though parasites represent at least half of all biodiversity.
The Santa Barbara Edhat reports that by counting and weighing parasites along with other animals in the estuaries, Dobson, Brown and their collaborators made two important discoveries: that parasites are less common than other small animals, and that the amount of biomass produced by a given population is not dependent on the body size of the animals.
The team concludes that by looking at the size of an animal along with its place within the food chain, it is possible to predict how common it is. Their research is published in the journal Science.
Read the Edhat article (July 21, 2011)
Read the Environmental Protection Online article (July 26, 2011)
Read the Science paper (July 22, 2011)