World Archives of Species Perception - Parasites
World Archives of Species Perception - Parasites
WASP-P
WASP-P
Share your perception of hidden biodiversity
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WASP project is maintained by researchers at Centre for Environmental Sciences, UHasselt
WASP-P received financial support from FWO-Vlaanderen (Research Foundation Flanders) and the International Office (DIOS) of Hasselt University
Lamproglena monodi
How it works
How it works
Answer a few demographic questions (age, gender…)
Observe and rate 10 parasite species images. There are no correct or wrong answers, simply let us know what YOU think.
3. Share the survey and let others share their perception, too!
tinyurl.com/wasp-parasite
WASP for parasites
WASP for parasites
Every species on Earth has at least one and often several species of parasites that use them as hosts. Often they are specific to their host, and parasites can differ between certain locations or organs on or within their host. It is estimated that more than 30% of the world's parasites are on the brink of extinction by the end of this century. And yet there are less than 10 different species of parasites which were formally assessed for their conservation status by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Actions to assess and preserve the biodiversity of wildlife parasites are urgently needed. Conservation programs are more successful when they have the support of the general public.
To improve communication with the public, we first need to understand how parasite species are perceived. What traits make people appreciate a parasite species? Do knowledge-sharing events on parasites help in viewing parasites more favorably?
To answer these questions, we developed the WASP-P (World Archives of Species Perception - Parasites) project. This includes a short online survey (about 3 minutes), available in English and 8 other languages.
To date, WASP-P is the only scientific attempt to assess the public perception of parasite species.
Rajonchocotyle emarginata
Acanthocotyle verrilli
Cichlidogyrus vetusmolendarius
Parasites matter
Parasites matter
Despite their often strongly negative connotation, parasites are crucial actors in any healthy ecosystem. Not taking parasites into consideration in biodiversity policy, would amount to ignoring over half of all biodiversity. These are some reasons why parasites are important:
Parasites connect consumed and consumer species.
Parasites can regulate host populations, preventing a species from becoming weedy.
Parasites can drive or hamper new habitat colonization of free-living organisms (not only their hosts!).
Parasites can strengthen or even drive the formation of new host species.
Parasites can be indicators and inform us on the state of the environment or of the host populations.
Some parasites lower the concentration of heavy metals in the host’s tissues.
Molecules extracted from parasites can be used for medical treatments (e.g. hirudin).
About us
About us
The WASP Project is developed and executed by researchers from Hasselt University in Belgium, specifically within the university’s Centre for Environmental Sciences (CMK).
Researchers currently involved in WASP-P are: Prof. M. Vanhove, Prof. R. Malina, Prof. N. Kmentová, Dr. T. Gobbin, and Dr. T. Nguyen.
Mouth pieces of a tick
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