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Parasite-mediated predation determines infection in a complex predator-prey-parasite system
Ana C Hijar Islas1, Amy Milne2,3, Christophe Eizaguirre1
1School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|April 24, 2024
Summary
Parasites transmitted through predator-prey interactions can go extinct if infection probabilities are low. Success in infecting the final host is crucial for parasite survival, with stochasticity impacting coexistence and extinction dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Population Dynamics
- Parasitology
Background:
- Host-parasite and predator-prey interactions are key ecological dynamics.
- Both predators and parasites can regulate ecological communities.
- Parasite transmission through trophic interactions introduces complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model and analyze a predator-prey-parasite system with prey-to-predator parasite transmission.
- To investigate the impact of parasite virulence and infection probabilities on species coexistence and population composition.
- To understand the prevalence of infected hosts considering stochastic demographic changes.
Main Methods:
- Development of a complex predator-prey-parasite model.
- Inclusion of parasite transmission from prey to predators.
- Variation of parasite virulence and infection probabilities.
- Stochastic simulations to analyze population dynamics and coexistence.
Main Results:
- Parasite extinction occurs when infection probabilities for either host are low.
- Successful infection of the final host (predator) is critical for parasite survival.
- Stochasticity significantly influences the boundaries between host-parasite coexistence and extinction.
- The proportion of infected individuals correlates with infection probabilities.
- Relative abundances of infected and uninfected individuals can differ between prey and predator populations.
Conclusions:
- Parasite transmission success, particularly in the final host, is vital for maintaining parasite populations.
- Stochastic effects are crucial in determining the stability of predator-prey-parasite systems near coexistence thresholds.
- The interplay of direct and indirect parasite effects drives infection prevalence, leading to potentially counterintuitive population structures.
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