The ghost of hosts past: impacts of host extinction on parasite specificity

A growing body of research is focused on the extinction parasite species in response to host endangerment and declines. Beyond loss richness, can impact apparent specificity, as measured by richness or phylogenetic distances among hosts. Such impacts distribution parasites across phylogeny have knock-on effects that may reshape adaptation both hosts parasites, ultimately shifting evolutionary landscape underlying potential for emergence evolution virulence Here, we examine how reshaping phylogenies through specificity offer examples from historical extinctions, present-day endangerment, future projections biodiversity loss. We suggest an improved understanding contemporary host–parasite interactions shed light core aspects disease ecology, including comparative studies multi-host systems, trajectories biodiversity. This article part theme issue ‘Infectious macroecology: diversity dynamics globe’.