A common measure of prey immune function is not constrained by the cascading effects of predators

Hasik, Adam Z.; Tye, Simon P.; Ping, Taylor; Siepielski, Adam M.

doi:10.1007/s10682-021-10124-x

Cited by 9 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…We expected that resource‐limited hosts would have reduced immune function (e.g., Campero et al, 2008; Hasik et al, 2021) and thus elevated parasitism. However, our observational study and transplant experiment showed that both parasite prevalence and intensity increased slightly with prey density.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our studies were conducted in anthropogenic lakes located in the Ozark Highlands and River Valley of Arkansas, U.S.A. (Figure S1). The dominant macrophyte is water willow ( Justicia americana ) and bluegill sunfish ( Lepomis macrochirus ) are the dominant predator of damselflies (Hasik et al, 2021; Ousterhout et al, 2018; Ousterhout et al, 2019; Siepielski et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, PO levels positively correlate with melanisation and defence against parasites (Butt & Raftos, 2008), making PO an appropriate (though limited) representation of overall immune function (Srygley & Jaronski, 2011). PO in damselflies varies not only with infection risk (Joop & Rolff, 2004), sex (Córdoba‐Aguilar et al, 2006; Willink & Svensson, 2017), and female morph (Iserbyt et al, 2012), but also with resource abundance (Campero et al, 2008; Hasik et al, 2021), as immune defences are energetically costly (González‐Santoyo & Córdoba‐Aguilar, 2012). Thus, the extent of parasitism should vary among species and host populations over environmental gradients that either directly or indirectly shape interactions between damselflies and mites.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Higher total PO activity has been shown to positively correlate with melanisation and defence against mites (Butt & Raftos, 2008; but see Mlynarek et al, 2015). As in previous studies, we used the protein content of each damselfly to control for variation in body size (Hasik et al, 2021; Mlynarek et al, 2015). We measured total PO activity and protein content in duplicate, with means used for analyses (details in the Appendix S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A role for the local environment in driving species‐specific parasitism in a multi‐host parasite system

Hasik

Siepielski

2022

Freshwater Biology

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The extent and magnitude of parasitism often vary among closely related host species and across populations within species. Determining the ecological basis for this species and population‐level variation in parasitism is critical for understanding infection dynamics in multi‐host–parasite systems. To investigate such ecological underpinnings of variation in parasitism, we studied Enallagma damselfly host species and their water mite (Arrenurus spp.) ectoparasites in lakes. We first evaluated how host identity and density could shape parasitism. To test the effects of con‐ and heterospecific host density on parasitism, we used a field experiment with Enallagma basidens and E. signatum. We found that parasitism did not vary with con‐ or heterospecific density and was determined by host identity alone, with no spillover effects. We also evaluated the potential role of local adaptation and resource availability in shaping parasitism. To do so, we used E. signatum in a reciprocal transplant experiment crossed with a prey resource‐level manipulation. This experiment revealed that parasitism declined sharply for one host population in its non‐local lake, but not the other source population, with no effects of prey levels. This asymmetry implies that damselflies express enhanced defences against parasitism that are neither population‐specific nor dependent on resource abundance, or that mites developed heightened local host specificity. The results of multivariate modeling from an observational study generally supported these experimental findings: neither host density nor resource abundance strongly explained among‐population variation in parasitism. Instead, local abiotic conditions (pH) had the strongest relationship with parasitism, with minimal associations with predator density, temperature and a measure of immune function. Collectively, our findings suggest a crucial role for the local environment in shaping host–parasite interactions within multi‐host–parasite systems. More generally, these results show that research at the intersection of community ecology and disease ecology is critical for understanding host–parasite dynamics within natural communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A role for the local environment in driving species‐specific parasitism in a multi‐host parasite system

Hasik

Siepielski

2022

Freshwater Biology

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“…In captive or wild animal populations, density may be directly manipulated by altering the number of individuals that inhabit a given container (e.g. (Raffel et al 2010;Buck et al 2017;Hasik et al 2021)) or by changing the volume of the container itself (e.g. (Modlmeier et al 2019)).…”

Section: F Expanding the Range Of Available Study Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density dependence and disease dynamics: moving towards a predictive framework

Albery¹

2022

Preprint

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High population density is thought to exacerbate parasite exposure rates, leading to increased transmission and greater disease burdens. Different types of interactions exhibit different relationships with density, and therefore so do parasites that are spread by these interactions. Epidemiological models often assume a given density-transmission relationship, and the validity of this assumption impacts the accuracy of a model’s predictions. Despite its foundational relevance to epidemiology and disease ecology, density-transmission functions are generally identified post hoc rather than being predictable in advance. Developing a framework for predicting the shape and slope of these relationships could expedite epidemiological responses and improve ecological understanding. Such a framework must allow for both positive and negative correlations between density and infection, originating from non-linear changes in exposure, susceptibility, and a range of other confounders. Here, I argue that a general predictive framework is possible, built “bottom-up” from analyses of spatial and social behaviours. To lay the foundation, I define density dependence according to both spatial and social dimensions of behaviour, I present a series of challenges to address, and I outline a coherent integrative framework to conceptualise and understand density dependence of infection. Finally, I present suggestions for future work, including the collection, mining, and collation of cross-system behavioural and infection data, and experimental approaches that would allow us to extricate density’s effects from those of population size and a range of other confounders. Implementing these investigations may allow us to anticipate the epidemiological properties of a wide range of known and unknown parasites, as well as informing the uncertain future of human and animal disease in a rapidly changing and ever-densifying world.

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Commentary: Infectious disease — the ecological theater and the evolutionary play

2023

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A common measure of prey immune function is not constrained by the cascading effects of predators

Cited by 9 publications

References 88 publications

A role for the local environment in driving species‐specific parasitism in a multi‐host parasite system

A role for the local environment in driving species‐specific parasitism in a multi‐host parasite system

Density dependence and disease dynamics: moving towards a predictive framework

Commentary: Infectious disease — the ecological theater and the evolutionary play

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