Cannibalism and competition can increase parasite abundance for parasites with complex life history strategies.

Autor: Goodnight SR; Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA., McCoy MW; Department of Biology, Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology [Ecology] 2024 Jul; Vol. 105 (7), pp. e4325. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 10.
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4325
Abstrakt: Ecological interactions among hosts are critical to consider when predicting disease dynamics. Most theory predicts that intraguild predation (IGP) and cannibalism negatively impact parasite populations, but this is based primarily on assumptions of simple or single-host life cycles. Here we investigate the effects of cannibalism in a size-structured host population on two digenean trematodes that have complex, multihost life cycles. A high incidence of cannibalism among paratenic hosts produced higher parasite infection loads and abundance, whereas cannibalism among obligate hosts reduced parasite abundances. We attributed this difference to trophic transmission aggregating parasites in larger, potentially fitter hosts and also to transmission among paratenic hosts via cannibalism. Moreover, we found evidence of indirect competitive interactions between parasites that can also increase infections at small scales. Our results show there are multiple mechanisms through which high cannibalism environments can benefit parasites that use paratenic hosts and trophic transfer to complete their life cycles.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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