Abstract Most hemiparasitic plants are generalists with a broad host range, but they grow better in the presence of some plant species than others. In mixed communities hosts, hemiparasites prefer hosts over others, it is not yet known if hemiparasite roots can distinguish between different and show directed growth (host tropism). We performed choice experiments, exposing seedlings Rhinanthus a...

Anti-helminth immunity involves CD4+ T cells, yet the precise effector mechanisms responsible for parasite killing or expulsion remain elusive. We now report an essential role for antibodies in mediating immunity against the enteric helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Hp), a natural murine parasite that establishes chronic infection. Polyclonal IgG antibodies, present in naive mice and produced...

Parasite life-history characteristics, the environment, and host defenses determine variation in parasite population parameters across space and time. Parasite abundance and distribution have received little attention despite their pervasive effects on host populations and community dynamics. We used analyses of variance to estimate the variability of intensity, prevalence, and abundance of 4 s...

There have been numerous investigations of parasite local adaptation, a phenomenon important from the perspectives of both basic and applied evolutionary ecology. Recent work has demonstrated that temperature has striking effects on parasite performance by mediating trade-offs in parasite life history and through genotype x environment interactions. To test whether parasite local adaptation is ...

We studied the population dynamics and parasite load of the foraminifer Cibicides antarcticus on its host the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki from three localities differing by sea ice cover within western McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica: Explorers Cove, Bay of Sails and Herbertson Glacier. We also estimated CaCO3 biomass and annual production for both species. Cibicides populations v...

Yellowtail kingfish, Seriola lalandi support significant commercial and recreational fisheries as well as aquaculture operations throughout the world. Metazoan parasite infections of S. lalandi are of considerable economic and ecological importance, yet very little is known about wild parasite assemblages. S. lalandi were collected from the east coast and south coast of Australia and examined f...

Blood samples from 159 birds of the New-world family Tyrannidae (the flycatchers) from the eastern plains of Colombia, were examined for haematozoa parasites, in 1999-2000. Haematozoa were detected in six of 20 species. The overall prevalence was 10.1%. The most common parasites detected were microfilariae, followed by Trypanosoma and Plasmodium. The highest prevalence (9.6%) was found in the O...

Studies on the factors determining parasite richness in hosts are typically performed using data compiled for various sets of species from disparate habitats. However, parasite transmission is embedded within local trophic networks, and proper comparisons among host species of the drivers of parasite richness should ideally be conducted among hosts belonging to the same local network. Here, we ...