Meeting Abstract
Most species on Earth harbour several parasite species. If half of all marine species had one host-specific parasite we would expect over 100,000 described species of parasites. However, at present < 10% of described marine species are parasites. Is this because parasites are grossly under-sampled and described compared to their hosts? Will new discoveries of parasite species at least double the number of known marine species? Or are parasites far less host-specific than believed, perhaps also due to under-sampling of hosts? Other reasons that parasites may be more widespread than recognised may be because they use their high fecundity, efficient dispersal to infect new hosts, and alternative hosts to extend their geographic range. This presentation will compare the relative species richness and biogeography of marine parasites and their hosts to find clues to help answer these questions.
