Cross-continental comparison of parasite communities in a wide-ranging carnivore suggests associations with prey diversity and host density

Parasites are integral to ecosystem functioning yet often overlooked. Improved understanding of host-parasite associations is important, particularly for wide-ranging species for which host range shifts and climate change could alter host-parasite interactions and their effects on ecosystem function.

Among the most widely distributed mammals with diverse diets, grey wolves (Canis lupus) host parasites that are transmitted among canids and via prey species. Grey wolf-parasite associations may therefore influence the population dynamics and ecological functions of both wolves and their prey. Our goal was to identify large-scale processes that shape host-parasite interactions across populations, with the grey wolf as a model organism.

By compiling data from various studies, we examined the faecal prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in six wolf populations from two continents in relation to wolf density, diet diversity, and other ecological conditions.

As expected, we found ...