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Population biology

Parasites take control

Nature volume 406, pages 33–34 (2000)Cite this article

Parasites can it seems stabilize and regulate populations of their hosts, but it has proved tough to find evidence of the process in natural conditions. An example now comes from analysis of a finch population in the United States, which has become infected by a bacterium causing eye disease.

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Figure 1: A male house finch of the species studied by Hochachka and Dhondt5, with the debilitating symptoms of mycoplasmal conjunctivitis.

CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY

Figure 2: House finches and Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Conservation Science, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK

    Richard D. Gregory

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK

    Peter J. Hudson

Authors
  1. Richard D. Gregory
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  2. Peter J. Hudson
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Correspondence to Richard D. Gregory or Peter J. Hudson.

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Gregory, R., Hudson, P. Parasites take control. Nature 406, 33–34 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35017688

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