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Article: Studies from University of Basel yield new data on ecology.(Report)
- Article from:
- Ecology, Environment & Conservation
- Article date:
- June 19, 2009
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According to recent research published in the journal Oecologia, "It has recently been suggested that the expression of parasite virulence depends on host population density, such that infected hosts have a higher sensitivity to density, and thus reach their carrying capacity earlier than uninfected hosts. In this scenario, parasite-induced reduction in fitness (i.e., virulence) increases with host density."
"We tested this hypothesis experimentally, using outdoor mesocosm populations of Daphnia magna infected by the microsporidian Octosporea bayeri. Contrary to the prediction, virulence was independent of host density. In a competition experiment with initial ...