Fewer Parasites in Indian River Lagoon Signal Big Ecosystem Problems

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science suspected that parasite levels in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) would be affected by environmental changes, such as harmful algae blooms. When human activities like pollution disturb ecosystems, these host–parasite relationships can break down. Because some parasites need several different hosts to complete their life cycles, their presence can tell us a lot about the health and complexity of an ecosystem. Read more.