Parasites such as lice and fleas are crucial to ecosystems, scientists say, and extinctions could lead to unpredictable invasionsClimate change could wipe out a third of all parasite species on Earth, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date. “Parasites seem like one of the most threatened groups on Earth.” The severity of the impact varied with the different climate scenarios. The research analysed more than 50,000 records of the 457 parasite species, which the researchers believe provides a representative picture. But, with more than 300,000 species of parasitic worms alone known to exist, working out the specific impact of parasite extinctions on diseases is complex and remains to be done. “It is difficult to summarise the net consequence, as we know so little about most parasites,” Carlson said.

Source: The Guardian September 06, 2017 18:00 UTC