Britton J Robert, Andreou Demetra
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, UK.
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, UK.
Trends Parasitol. 2016 Jun;32(6):437-445. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.02.007. Epub 2016 Mar 9.
The population trophic niche of free-living species can be subdivided into smaller niches comprising individuals specialising on specific food items. The roles of parasites in creating these specialised subgroups remain unclear. Intrapopulation differences in parasite infections can develop from specialist individuals within populations. Their differences in morphology and habitat can increase their exposure to intermediate hosts via infected prey, altering their parasite fauna. However, we also suggest that parasite infections can drive this niche specialisation. Through mechanisms including parasite manipulation, altered host phenotypes, and/ or parasite-mediated competition, parasites can alter the resource availability of their hosts, altering their trophic niches. Thus, trophic niche specialisations could result from parasitism via varying influences on host traits, raising questions for future research.
自由生活物种的种群营养生态位可细分为更小的生态位，其中包括专门以特定食物为食的个体。寄生虫在形成这些特殊亚群中所起的作用仍不清楚。种群内寄生虫感染的差异可能源于种群中的特化个体。它们在形态和栖息地方面的差异可能会通过受感染的猎物增加其接触中间宿主的机会，从而改变其寄生虫群落。然而，我们也认为寄生虫感染可能会推动这种生态位特化。通过包括寄生虫操控、改变宿主表型和/或寄生虫介导的竞争等机制，寄生虫可以改变其宿主的资源可用性，从而改变其营养生态位。因此，营养生态位特化可能是由寄生虫对宿主特征的不同影响导致的寄生现象引起的，这为未来的研究提出了问题。
