title: Introduced Species, Disease Ecology, and Biodiversity-Disease Relationships.
abstract: Species introductions are a dominant component of biodiversity change but are not explicitly included in most discussions of biodiversity-disease relationships. This is a major oversight given the multitude of effects that introduced species have on both parasitism and native hosts. Drawing on both animal and plant systems, we review the competing mechanistic pathways by which biological introductions influence parasite diversity and prevalence. While some mechanisms - such as local changes in phylogenetic composition and global homogenization - have strong explanatory potential, the net effects of introduced species, especially at local scales, remain poorly understood. Integrative, community-scale studies that explicitly incorporate introduced species are needed to make effective predictions about the effects of realistic biodiversity change and conservation action on disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Electronic address: hillary.young@lifesci.ucsb.edu.
authors.forename: Hillary S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ingrid M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sofia Guerra
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Nunn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D004463:Ecology; D058865:Introduced Species; D010271:Parasites; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: dilution effect; introduced species; invasive species; parasites; prevalence; species richness