Timescale reverses the relationship between host density and infection risk.

ABSTRACT: Host density shapes infection risk through two opposing phenomena. First, when infective stages are subdivided among multiple hosts, greater host densities decrease infection risk through 'safety in numbers'. Hosts, however, represent resources for parasites, and greater host availability also fuels parasite reproduction. Hence, host density increases infection risk through 'density-dependent transmission'. Theory proposes that these phenomena are not disparate outcomes but occur over different timescales. That is, higher host densities may reduce short-term infection risk, but because they support parasite reproduction, may increase long-term risk. We tested this theory in a zooplankton-disease system with laboratory experiments and field observations. Supporting theory, we found that neg

SUBMITTER: Stewart Merrill TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9346366 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature