Parasite establishment in host communities |
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| Authors: | Robert D Holt rew P Dobson Michael Begon Roger G Bowers Eric M Schauber |
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| Institution: | Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA;Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK;Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK;Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA |
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| Abstract: | Many pathogens and parasites attack multiple host species, so their ability to invade a host community can depend on host community composition. We present a graphical isocline framework for studying disease establishment in systems with two host species, based on treating host species as resources. The isocline approach provides a natural generalization to multi‐host systems of two related concepts in disease ecology – the basic reproductive rate of a parasite, and threshold host density. Qualitative isocline shape characterizes the threshold community configurations that permit parasite establishment. In general, isocline shape reflects the relative forces of inter‐ and intraspecific transmission of shared parasites. We discuss the qualitative implications of parasite isocline shape for issues of mounting concern in conservation ecology. |
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| Keywords: | Host–parasite interaction indirect effects infectious disease isocline analysis multiple host species parasite invasion |
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