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- Title
Diversity and disease: community structure drives parasite transmission and host fitness.
- Authors
Johnson, Pieter T. J.; Hartson, Richard B.; Larson, Donald J.; Sutherland, Daniel R.
- Abstract
Changes in host diversity and community structure have been linked to disease, but the mechanisms underlying such relationships and their applicability to non-vector-borne disease systems remain conjectural. Here we experimentally investigated how changes in host community structure affected the transmission and pathology of the multi-host parasite Ribeiroia ondatrae, which is a widespread cause of amphibian limb deformities. We exposed larval amphibians to parasites in monospecific or heterospecific communities, and varied host number to differentiate between density- and diversity-mediated effects on transmission. In monospecific communities, exposure to Ribeiroia significantly increased mortality (15%), malformations (40%) and time-to-metamorphosis in toads. However, the presence of tree frogs significantly reduced infection in toads, leading to fewer malformations and higher survival than observed in monospecific communities, providing evidence of parasite-mediated facilitation. Our results suggest that interspecific variation in parasite resistance can inhibit parasite transmission in multi-species communities, reducing infection and pathology in sensitive hosts.
- Subjects
BIODIVERSITY; BIOTIC communities; AMPHIBIANS; PARASITES; MORTALITY; SPECIES
- Publication
Ecology Letters, 2008, Vol 11, Issue 10, p1017
- ISSN
1461-023X
- Publication type
Letter
- DOI
10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01212.x