Effects of climate change on bird-parasite interactions

Abstract

García del Río, M., Castaño-Vázquez, F., Merino, S. 2020. Effects of climate change on bird-parasite interactions. Ecosistemas 29(2):1981. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.1981

During the last years, models on the effects of climate change predict the arrival of milder climates to higher latitudes and altitudes, and as a consequence, the spread of disease from lower latitudes and altitudes. Bird-parasite interactions are not an exception and could be affected by these changes. However, several reviews on the effects of climate change on birds and parasites conclude that effects of climate on these interactions could be diverse and complex and, in general, difficult to predict. In this article we review some studies reporting climatic effects on bird-parasite relationships, showing different aspects that may interact in these cases. Biodiversity, density of organisms, both of hosts or parasites, virulence of parasites and host immunocompetence, are key factors to understand the effects of climate change on bird-parasite interactions. More empirical work is clearly needed to show the level of impact of climate change on birds and parasite populations as well as on their capacity of adaptation to those changes.