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Session Chair: Andrew Thompson, Murdoch University
Location:Plenary Lecture Theatre 1, Uni of Auckland Engineering Complex Bldg, LT 405-470
Lecture Theatre 405-470
IJP:PAW Invited Lecturer (Sponsored by Elsevier) Dr Ralph Vanstreels University of California Davis, USA
Presentations
Conservation relevance and research gaps of seabird parasites in the South Pacific
Ralph Vanstreels
Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis (based in Puerto Madryn, Argentina)
The South Pacific is a global hotspot for seabird diversity, and the waters of New Zealand and southeast Australia stand out as a critical region for threatened species of seabirds, ranging from plovers to albatrosses. Various parasites such as protozoa, ticks, helminths, among others, have been shown to cause significant mortality of seabirds in this region and there is growing evidence that human factors such as climate change and invasive species may synergize and/or enhance the impacts of these parasites on the survival or fitness of their seabird hosts. However, there are important knowledge gaps that limit our ability to mitigate these impacts and ensure that these parasites will not jeopardize the conservation of their hosts. In addition, this region’s wildlife community is markedly different from that of the northern hemisphere, where most studies on seabird host-parasite dynamics were historically conducted, providing opportunities for potentially unique and understudied interactions. In this presentation, I will present case studies that exemplify the relevance of parasites to the conservation of seabirds in the South Pacific and the uniqueness of the host-parasite dynamics in this region, highlighting some significant research gaps.
