Article
Ecology
Alena S. Gsell, Justyna Wolinska, Katrin Preuss, Sven Teurlincx, Deniz Ozkundakci, Sabine Hilt, Ellen van Donk, Bas W. Ibelings, Rita Adrian
Summary: Parasites, specifically chytrids, were found to be prevalent in the pelagic plankton community of the lake studied. Chytrid infections occurred throughout the year with the highest prevalence in spring. The prevalence of infections was influenced by factors such as phytoplankton biomass, temperature, and phosphorus concentrations.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Stuart K. J. R. Auld, June Brand, Luc F. Bussiere
Summary: Epidemics can lead to declines in host population genetic diversity, and this can have long-term effects on the evolution of resistance and subsequent epidemic sizes. However, the loss of genetic diversity can also make hosts more vulnerable to future epidemics. The presence of diapausing life stages in many host organisms further complicates this relationship, as they allow for host dispersal through time and can affect host genetic diversity and future epidemics. In a study on Daphnia magna and its bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa, researchers found that early initiation of diapause led to increased host genetic diversity and reduced epidemic sizes in the following year, regardless of environmental disturbance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shatabdi Paul, Md Kawsar Khan, Marie E. Herberstein
Summary: The prevalence and intensity of parasitism vary between sexes, species, and developmental stages. This study found differences in parasitism patterns among damselflies, with variations in prevalence and intensity based on sex and developmental stage.
Article
Ecology
Robert L. Richards, L. Mike Conner, Gail Morris, John M. Drake, Vanessa O. Ezenwa
Summary: The healthy herds hypothesis (HHH) suggests that predators can reduce parasitism in their prey, but empirical tests have shown significant variation in the predator-parasite relationship across different prey taxa, seasons, and disturbance events. By conducting a predator exclusion experiment on small mammals, we found that the exclusion of mammalian predators had opposite effects on the parasites of different species. Furthermore, the effect of predator exclusion varied before and after a prescribed fire disturbance, and was also highly dependent on the season of prey capture. These findings highlight the context-dependent nature of predator effects on parasites in prey.
Article
Ecology
Lucas Pereira-Moura, Daniel Silas Veras, Fernando Geraldo de Carvalho, Leandro Juen, Sheyla Regina Marques Couceiro
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of habitat specificity and morphological differences on the spatial distribution of Odonata in the Cerrado Maranhense. It found that some species have wider spatial niches, while others have narrower niches.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qilei Zhang, Xiaojin Liu, Daping Xu, Zhou Hong, Ningnan Zhang, Zhiyi Cui
Summary: The presence of a host stimulates the growth of Santalum album seedlings and enhances their antioxidative capacity, alleviating the damage caused by drought stress.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Muhamad Ishak, Ahmad R. Norhisham, Stephen M. Thomas, Siti Nurhidayu, Amal Ghazali, Badrul Azhar
Summary: The study found that small-scale oil palm agriculture affects river water quality and aquatic biodiversity, with dragonflies being sensitive indicators of ecosystem health. The presence of dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and vegetation cover positively influenced dragonfly species richness, while water level, pH, and total dissolved solids had a negative impact. Management practices should focus on reducing chemical pesticide and fertilizer use to improve conservation value of oil palm waterways for dragonflies and aquatic fauna in general.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jun Chen, Jordy O. Rodriguez Rincon, Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, Jennifer Fewell, Jon Harrison, Yun Kang
Summary: Honeybees play a crucial role in ecosystem stability, diversity, and crop production. Parasitism and seasonality can negatively impact honeybee colonies, leading to decreased population size, destabilized dynamics, and potential collapse. The interaction between climate change and parasites can have complicated effects on honeybee survival.
JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Hee-Jin Noh, Ros Gloag, Naomi E. Langmore
Summary: Many hosts of brood-parasitic cuckoos reject foreign eggs from the nest. However, if nests commonly receive more than one cuckoo egg, hosts might benefit by accepting parasite eggs. This study tested the clutch dilution hypothesis in large-billed gerygones, which accept cuckoo eggs. The results confirmed a clutch dilution effect in gerygones and suggested that hosts accept or reject cuckoo eggs depending on clutch composition.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Laikun Ma, Jianping Liu, Canchao Yang, Wei Liang
Summary: In the wetlands, the nest structures, egg size, and coloration of hosts play critical roles in the selection of hosts by cuckoos. The different life history strategies and anti-parasitic measures of hosts can lead to variations in parasitism rates by cuckoos.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Reichard, Stephan Koblmuller, Radim Blazek, Holger Zimmermann, Cyprian Katongo, Anna Bryjova, Josef Bryja
Summary: Host-parasite dynamics involve coevolutionary arms races and may result in host specialization and diversification. Previous understanding of host specialization in brood parasites has been mostly focused on bird and insect lineages. This study examines the relationship between the cuckoo catfish and mouthbrooding cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and finds evidence for the existence of sympatric host-specific lineages in the cuckoo catfish. Genetic analysis shows no host-specific lineages, and parasitism is not associated with any individual characteristics of the host species, but it does come at a cost for the parasitized parents. These findings suggest that the cuckoo catfish is an intermediate generalist in terms of host specialization.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Albert Rene, Natalia Timoneda, Nagore Sampedro, Elisabet Alacid, Rachele Gallisai, Jordina Gordi, Alan D. Fernandez-Valero, Massimo C. Pernice, Eva Flo, Esther Garces
Summary: This study examined the relationship between Perkinsea parasitoids and bloom-forming dinoflagellate species in marine environments, showing that specific parasite-host interactions exist and the dominance of a parasitoid species is influenced by the presence and abundances of its preferred host.
Article
Ecology
Charl Deacon, Michael J. Samways, James S. Pryke
Summary: Ecological and biological traits interact to shape the geographical ranges of dragonfly species in Africa. Single traits are weak predictors of species range sizes, and investigating multiple traits simultaneously is recommended for more accurate predictions.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qingqing Xu, Anthony LeRoy Westerling, W. Jonathan Baldwin
Summary: Wildfires are a significant disturbance in the Earth system, with regional and global impacts on radiation, clouds, and climate. The increasing frequency and size of California wildfires have disrupted the terrestrial carbon cycle and hindered the state's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These wildfires also have a major impact on air quality and public health. This study analyzed the severity and emissions of large wildfires in California from 1984 to 2020, revealing the importance of vegetation and severity in controlling the spatial and seasonal distribution of emissions. The findings showed that annual burned area and emissions in California have increased, particularly in the early and late parts of the traditional fire season.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fernando Ascensao, Yuri Geraldo Gomes Ribeiro, Zilca Campos, Debora Regina Yogui, Arnaud L. J. Desbiez
Summary: For some species, roadkill does not occur in hotspots but is instead dispersed along the roads. Traditional management measures may not be effective for mitigating the number of roadkill incidents, so temporary mitigation actions like traffic calming could be implemented. This study tested the feasibility of predicting seasonal peaks of roadkill using data from a 3-year monitoring in Brazil. The results suggest that it is possible to forecast periods of higher probability of roadkill incidents, providing valuable information for seasonal management actions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)