INDEX TO POSTS

 

Index to Posts

Post # 34

Donald A. Windsor

The Parasites Dominate blog was launched in 2013 and has now published 34 posts. Here is the list.

Post #    Title                           Date

1 Introduction to this Blog. 2013 Aug 31

2 Parasitism as a Property of Life. 2013 Sep 3

3 Parasitism as a Form of Predation. 2013 Sep 6

4 Nine Hypotheses About Parasitism. 2013 Sep 9

5 Darwin's Entangled Bank is Maintained by Parasites. 2013 Sep 11

6 Parasite Cookies on Host Genomes. 2013 Sep 30

7 Parasites Benefit Their Hosts — at the Species Level. 2014 Mar 16

8 My Epiphany Moment. 2015 Sep 12

9 Quantitating Role of Parasites in Ecosystem Using Energy Flow. 2015 Oct 19

10 Parasitism on Mars. 2015 Nov 8

11 Parasites Benefit Hosts with Survival Insurance. 2016 Oct 1

12 Parasite Benefits Host: Copepod on Shark Eyes. 2017 Mar 31

13 Role of Parasites in Earth's Biosphere. 2017Sep 30

14 Could a Paradigm about Parasites ever Shift the Traditional Paradigm of Ecology? 2017 Nov 2

15 Equal Rights for Parasites! 2017 Nov 5

16 27 Years of "Equal Rights for Parasites!" 2017 Dec 25

17 Probiotics and Parasites. 2018 Apr 25

18 Biobrokers in Parasite-Host Interactions. 2018 May 15

19 Intermediate Hosts and Biobrokers — Deer Brainworm. 2018 May 28

20 Biobrokers as Catalysts and as Gatekeepers. 2018 Jun 6

21 Bioallies. 2018 Jun 9

22 Caenocholax fenyesi — Males Hosted by Ants — Females by Crickets. 2018 Jun 13

23 Gatekeepers in Arms Race. 2018 Jul 10

24 Parasites Caused the Phylogenetic Tree to Branch. 2018 Sep 9

25 Paradigm Shift Analyzed by the Shifter. Parasites Attain Equal Rights. 2018 Dec 6

26 Host Suicide Induced by Parasites — Hemlock Wooley Adelgid. 2019 Feb 13

27 Deep Surface Biosphere — Any Parasites? 2019 May 18

28 Hemiparasites Benefit Their Hosts at the Species Level. 2019 Jun 12

29 Did Humans Originate from Manipulation by Parasites? 2019 Jun 29

30 Are Parasites Singing Their Own Unceasing Song of Life? 2019 Jul 19

31 Conservation of Parasites: Emphasis as Species. 2020 Dec 26

32 How Many Habitats in Our Biosphere? 2021 Jan 18

33 Virocell Concept Applied to Parasites. 2021 Jan 30

34 Index to Posts. 2021 Feb 24 

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COULD A PARADIGM ABOUT PARASITES EVER SHIFT THE TRADITIONAL PARADIGM OF ECOLOGY?

COULD A PARADIGM ABOUT PARASITES EVER SHIFT

THE TRADITIONAL PARADIGM OF ECOLOGY?

Posting # 14

Donald A. Windsor

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

When a paradigm shifts and no one in the scientific community notices, does it make any difference?

The tree question was asked by philosopher George Berkley in 1710. I ask my my paradigm question now. The vital role of paradigm shifts in science was explained by Thomas S. Kuhn in 1962.

My paradigm about parasites was published in 1998. I was advocating a paradigm shift. The newly formed concept in my paradigm turns ecology upside down and inside out.

Here is a brief backstory. My dissertation research involved parasites, but upon leaving school in 1966 my employment dealt with other subjects. When I retired in 1994, I was curious about what when on in parasitology during the previous 28 years. So I started reading the parasitology literature where I left off. When I finished in 1997 I experienced a shocking realization. Parasite species seem to be more numerous than their host species. Moreover, the important roles that parasites play in ecosystems seemed to be woefully understated and even vastly unrecognized.

Twenty years will soon have elapsed and, while my article has been cited 197 times, ecologistsists have not yet recognized this new paradigm as a shift. Maybe they never will. Regardless of what happens, I am getting too old to ever find out. Here is a brief synopsis.

The ruling paradigm in ecology holds that our biosphere is composed of free-living (non-parasitic) organisms, with parasites merely being pesky nuisances.

My paradigm contends that parasites are ubiquitous, insidious managers of our biosphere. They do not merely freeload off their hosts – parasites regulate their hosts. When competition and predation do not reign in host populations, parasites take over and prevent monocultures. The result is biodiversity. A corollary is even more astounding; some parasites enable their hosts to avoid extinction.

The validity of my paradigm can be tested, just as any other hypothesis can. If another planet, or even an asteroid, has life, but does not have parasites, then it will have few species and have large monocultures. My paradigm contends that parasitism is a property of life on Earth. Discovery of extraterrestrial life will reveal whether parasitism is a universal property of life.

I hope my paradigm becomes the current paradigm before we contaminate other worlds with our organisms and jeopardize this test.

References cited:

Berkley, George. A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge. 1710.

Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 3^rd Edition. 1996. 212 pages.

Windsor, Donald A. Most of the species on Earth are parasites.
International Journal for Parasitology 1998 December; 28(12): 1939-1941.

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ROLE OF PARASITES IN EARTH'S BIOSPHERE

ROLE OF PARASITES IN EARTH’S BIOSPHERE

Post #13

Donald A. Windsor

Restriction of monocultures is the basic mechanism operating Earth’s biosphere.

When competition and predation do not control monocultures, parasitic diseases step in. The result is biodiversity and multiple ecosystems.

This simple explanation is based on observation. Monocultures, such as those planted by farmers, are quickly invaded by other species and attacked by numerous pests. Farmers have to be very diligent to protect their crops by using pesticides. Even then, other species manage to invade.

Our biosphere here on Earth is characterized by biodiversity, huge numbers of different species and interactions among all those species. Monocultures are rare and short-lived, found on newly formed islands and on disturbances leading to bare earth.

But what about life on other worlds? Does extraterrestrial life express itself as biodiversity or as monocultures? Do other worldly species interact in ecosystems? Or just dwell in monocultures?

Life on Earth is analogous to human economic forces. Without governmental regulation, unbridled capitalism results in a few very rich winners and vast hordes of poor losers. Our era of the robber barons in the late 1800s and early 1900s is a prime example. Parasites are similar to governmental regulations; they stifle exuberance.

Perhaps a world without parasites would be similar to unregulated capitalism, with a few very successful species and no or very few other species. Perhaps a middle class of species would have developed.

In the near future we may get an opportunity to discover extraterrestrial life. Will it be biodiverse? Or monoculturalistic? If parasites are present, so too will be biodiversity.

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