A new study sheds light on how parasites, often overlooked, can dramatically affect the balance between predator and prey populations. Researchers developed a groundbreaking mathematical framework that predicts when predators, prey, and parasites can coexist, considering factors like random fluctuations and parasite effects on both populations.
This research provides a valuable tool for conservation by helping predict how parasites influence ecosystem resilience and informing strategies to protect vulnerable species.sheds light on how parasites influence the intricate relationships between predator and prey populations.
The study revealed that stochasticity, random fluctuations in population sizes, plays a significant role in determining whether species coexist or go extinct, particularly at the boundary between these states. "Our findings provide a valuable foundation for understanding how these systems evolve over time," concludes Dr Weini Huang. The team have developed a further study built upon this framework by incorporating the evolution of key parameters, such as reproduction costs and infection probability, under the combined influence of ecological and evolutionary pressures."
Ecology Research Pests And Parasites Wild Animals Ecology Exotic Species Environmental Awareness Ecosystems
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