Data from: Time-lagged effect of predators on tadpole behaviour and parasite infection

Prey should adjust their defences against natural enemies to match their
current level of risk and balance other needs. This is particularly
important when optimal defences represent trade-offs, as is the case with
many predator-induced trait-mediated indirect effects (TMIEs) that are
antagonistic to those promoting host resistance to parasites and
pathogens. However, trade-offs may depend on whether different natural
enemies are present simultaneously or represent temporally discrete
threats. We found that larval amphibians (Anaxyrus americanus) previously
exposed to predator cues did not engage in anti-parasite behaviours
(activity increases) in response to a current risk of infection by a
pathogenic trematode parasite compared to controls, resulting in higher
infection intensities. This suggests that the memory of the likely more
lethal threat (predation) had greater influence, maladaptively dampening
tadpole activity. Incorporating complexity inherent in natural systems,
including spatial and temporal overlap, is necessary to better understand
natural enemy ecology and how TMIEs relate to infectious diseases.