Published November 1, 2022 | Version v1
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Data for: Resetting our expectations for parasites and their effects on species interactions: A meta-analysis

  • 1. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  • 2. University of Otago
  • 3. University of British Columbia
  • 4. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
  • 5. University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

Description

Despite the ubiquitous nature of parasitism, how parasitism alters the outcome of host species interactions such as competition, mutualism, and predation remain unknown. Using a phylogenetically informed meta-analysis of 154 studies, we examined how the mean and variance in the outcomes of species interactions differed between parasitized and non-parasitized hosts. Overall, parasitism did not significantly affect the mean or variance of host species interaction outcomes, nor did the shared evolutionary histories of hosts and parasites have an effect. Instead, there was considerable variation in outcomes, ranging from strongly detrimental to strongly beneficial for infected hosts. Trophically-transmitted parasites increased the negative effects of predation, parasites increased and decreased the negative effects of interspecific competition for parasitized and non-parasitized heterospecifics, respectively, and parasites had particularly strong negative effects on host species interactions in freshwater and marine habitats, yet were beneficial in terrestrial environments. Our results illuminate the diverse ways in which parasites modify critical linkages in ecological networks, implying that whether the cumulative effects of parasitism are considered detrimental depends not only on the interactions between hosts and their parasites, but also on the many other interactions that hosts experience.

Notes

Funding provided by: National Science Foundation
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001
Award Number: DEB 1748945

Funding provided by: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000936
Award Number: GBMF9202

Funding provided by: Doctoral fellowship*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number:

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Related works

Is source of
10.5061/dryad.wdbrv15sb (DOI)