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Predators and parasites are critical, interconnected members of the community and have the potential to shape host populations. Predators, in particular, can have direct and indirect impacts on disease dynamics. By removing hosts and their parasites, predators alter both host and parasite populations and ultimately shape disease transmission. Selective predation of infected hosts has received considerable attention as it is recognized to have important ecological implications. The occurrence and consequences of preferential consumption of uninfected hosts, however, has rarely been considered. Here, we synthesize current evidence suggesting this strategy of selectively predating uninfected individuals is likely more common than previously anticipated and address how including this predation strategy can change our understanding of the ecology and evolution of disease dynamics. Selective predation strategies are expected to differentially impact ecological dynamics and therefore, consideration of both strategies is required to fully understand the impact of predation on prey and host densities. In addition, given that different strategies of prey selectivity by predators change the fitness payoffs both for hosts and their parasites, we predict amplified coevolutionary rates under selective predation of infected hosts compared to uninfected hosts. Using recent work highlighting the critical role that predators play in disease dynamics, we provide insights into the potential mechanisms by which selective predation on healthy individuals can directly affect ecological outcomes and impact long‐term host–parasite coevolution. We contrast the consequences of both scenarios of selective predation while identifying current gaps in the literature and future research directions.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Impacts of Selective Predation on Infection Prevalence and Host Susceptibility
ABSTRACT Predation can alter diverse ecological processes, including host–parasite interactions. Selective predation, whereby predators preferentially feed on certain prey types, can affect prey density and selective pressures. Studies on selective predation in infected populations have primarily focused on predators preferentially feeding on infected prey. However, there is substantial evidence that some predators preferentially consume uninfected individuals. Such different strategies of prey selectivity likely modulate host–parasite interactions, changing the fitness payoffs both for hosts and their parasites. Here we investigated the effects of different types of selective predation on infection dynamics and host evolution. We used a host–parasite system in the laboratory (Daphnia dentifera infected with the horizontally transmitted fungus,Metschnikowia bicuspidata) to artificially manipulate selective predation by removing infected, uninfected, or randomly selected prey over approximately 8–9 overlapping generations. We collected weekly data on population demographics and host infection and measured susceptibility from a subset of the remaining hosts in each population at the end of the experiment. After 6 weeks of selective predation pressure, we found no differences in host abundance or infection prevalence across predation treatments. Counterintuitively, populations with selective predation on infected individuals had a higher abundance of infected individuals than populations where either uninfected or randomly selected individuals were removed. Additionally, populations with selective predation for uninfected individuals had a higher proportion of individuals infected after a standardized exposure to the parasite than individuals from the two other predation treatments. These results suggest that selective predation can alter the abundance of infected hosts and host evolution.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1856710
- PAR ID:
- 10569855
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Ecology and Evolution
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2045-7758
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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