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Abstract
Ecologists have recently begun to acknowledge the importance of disease and parasites
in the dynamics of populations. Diseases and parasites have probably been responsible
for a number of extinctions on islands and on large land masses, but the problem has
only been identified in retrospect. In contrast, endemic pathogens and parasites may
operate as keystone species, playing a crucial role in maintaining the diversity of
ecological communities and ecosystems. Will recent advances in the understanding of
parasite population biology allow us to predict threats to endangered species and
communities?