Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...
Microbial Interactions: Predation01:28

Microbial Interactions: Predation

Microbial predation refers to the process by which one microorganism kills and consumes another to obtain nutrients and energy. It encompasses both bacterial and protozoan predators. This interaction plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and regulating nutrient cycling.Bacterial Predators: Epibiotic vs. EndobioticBacterial predators are classified based on their mode of attack as either epibiotic or endobiotic. Epibiotic predators, such as Vampirococcus, attach to the surface of...
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a pivotal role in the...
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism01:22

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Dark diversity framework reconciles Darwin's naturalization conundrum for freshwater fish invasions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Native and Non-Native Populations Respond Unevenly to River Barrier Removals.

Global change biology·2026
Same author

Parallel concepts and future opportunities across the biological control and invasion sciences.

Journal of environmental management·2026
Same author

Substantial cold tolerance in all life stages of Culicoides nubeculosus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Journal of medical entomology·2026
Same author

A Systems Perspective: How Social-Ecological Networks Can Improve Our Understanding and Management of Biological Invasions.

Bioscience·2026
Same author

The impacts of biological invasions.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2025
Same journal

Cat colonies reshape the abundance and body size of lizards.

Biology letters·2026
Same journal

Visual signal dynamicity shapes detectability in the wild: an experiment with a mate-searching butterfly.

Biology letters·2026
Same journal

Transient marine species disproportionately expand the morphospace of North American continental freshwater fishes.

Biology letters·2026
Same journal

An unrecognized fine-scale host-plant adaptation in a leaf miner: correct dorsoventral egg orientation is essential for successful leaf entry.

Biology letters·2026
Same journal

Alpine adaptation drives rapid colour evolution in a Batesian mimic.

Biology letters·2026
Same journal

Song but not colour divergence constrains hybridization in birds.

Biology letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Collecting Marine Gnathiid Isopod Fish Parasites with Light Traps
06:43

Collecting Marine Gnathiid Isopod Fish Parasites with Light Traps

Published on: September 25, 2023

A keystone effect for parasites in intraguild predation?

Melanie J Hatcher1, Jaimie T A Dick, Alison M Dunn

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK. mel.hatcher@bristol.ac.uk

Biology Letters
|July 10, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Parasites can help species coexist in intraguild predation (IGP) systems. A parasite harming the stronger competitor can allow a weaker species to persist and even dominate, challenging ecological coexistence theories.

More Related Videos

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
06:27

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Collecting Marine Gnathiid Isopod Fish Parasites with Light Traps
06:43

Collecting Marine Gnathiid Isopod Fish Parasites with Light Traps

Published on: September 25, 2023

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
06:27

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Population Dynamics
  • Community Ecology

Background:

  • Intraguild predation (IGP) is frequently observed in ecological communities.
  • Theoretical models predict that IGP should rarely persist, leading to rare species coexistence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of shared parasitism in maintaining intraguild predation (IGP).
  • To determine conditions promoting species coexistence in IGP systems with shared parasites.

Main Methods:

  • Numerical exploration of population dynamic equations.
  • Analysis of coexistence and exclusion zones for two interacting species.

Main Results:

  • Parasitism can expand the conditions under which species coexist in IGP.
  • Coexistence is favored when parasites disproportionately harm the stronger competitor (in terms of competition and predation).
  • Parasites can lead to the persistence and even numerical dominance of the weaker, less predatory species.

Conclusions:

  • Parasites can act as keystone species in mediating IGP dynamics.
  • Shared parasitism offers a novel mechanism for promoting biodiversity and species coexistence in ecological communities.
  • Findings challenge traditional ecological theories on IGP and coexistence.