Predators can influence the host-parasite dynamics of their prey via non-consumptive effects

Ecological communities are partly structured by indirect interactions, where one species can indirectly affect another by altering its interactions with a third species. In the absence of direct predation, non-consumptive effects of predators on prey have important implications for subsequent community interactions. To better understand these interactions, we used a Daphnia-parasite-predator cue system to evaluate if predation risk affects Daphnia responses to a parasite. We investigated the effects of predator cues on two aspects of host-parasite interactions (susceptibility to infection and infection intensity), and whether or not these effects differed between sexes. Our results show that changes in response to predator cues caused an increase in the prevalence and intensity of parasite infections in female predator-exposed Daphnia. Importantly, the magnitude of infection risk depended on how long Daphnia were exposed to the cues. Additionally, heavily infected Daphnia that were cons...

生态群落的构建部分依赖于间接相互作用：某一物种可通过改变与第三物种的相互作用，间接对另一物种产生影响。在无直接捕食行为的前提下，捕食者对猎物的非消耗性效应（non-consumptive effects）对后续群落相互作用具有重要意义。为更深入地解析此类相互作用，本研究采用水蚤（Daphnia）-寄生虫-捕食者信号系统，探究捕食风险是否会影响水蚤对寄生虫的应答反应。本研究围绕宿主-寄生虫相互作用的两个维度——感染易感性与感染强度——展开了捕食者信号的效应探究，并分析了该效应是否存在性别差异。研究结果显示，暴露于捕食者信号的雌性水蚤，其响应捕食者信号产生的生理变化会导致寄生虫感染率与感染强度均有所上升。值得注意的是，感染风险的强弱程度取决于水蚤暴露于捕食者信号的时长。此外，重度感染的水蚤（原文内容未完整呈现）