Regulation of Complex Host Dynamics by a Macroparasite

✍ Scribed by K.A.J. White; B.T. Grenfell

• Book ID: 102612801
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 258 KB
• Volume: 186
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5193
• DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.1996.0344

✦ Synopsis

The impact of a macroparasite on a host population which can exhibit highly complex dynamics is considered. We focus on the case where the host reproduces annually, in which case we couple within-season density dependent interactions with a discrete-time pulse to reflect seasonal reproduction. Results from analytic arguments, supported by extensive numerical simulations, indicate that within season parasite-induced host mortality is potentially capable of stabilising and simplifying host dynamics. Moreover, the interaction of demographic processes occurring on different time-scales is, in some cases, stabilising. In particular, parasite reduction in host frequency, which is a destabilising process in the May & Anderson continuous time model, is found to stabilise host macroparasite interactions under certain conditions. These results are discussed in an ecological context.