Impacts of Selective Predation on Infection Prevalence and Host Susceptibility.

ABSTRACT: Predation can alter diverse ecological processes, including host-parasite interactions. Selective predation, whereby predators preferentially feed on certain prey types, can affect prey density and selective pressures. Studies on selective predation in infected populations have primarily focused on predators preferentially feeding on infected prey. However, there is substantial evidence that some predators preferentially consume uninfected individuals. Such different strategies of prey selectivity likely modulate host-parasite interactions, changing the fitness payoffs both for hosts and their parasites. Here we investigated the effects of different types of selective predation on infection dynamics and host evolution. We used a host-parasite system in the laboratory (Daphnia dentifera<

SUBMITTER: Gutierrez SO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11747352 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature