0000000000517494
AUTHOR
Andrew Morozov
Revisiting the role of top-down and bottom-up controls in stabilisation of nutrient-rich plankton communities
Understanding the conditions for successful control of phytoplankton by zooplankton in eutrophic ecosystems is a highly important research area with a wide implementation of mathematical modelling. Theoretical models generally predict destabilisation of food webs in eutrophic environments with large-amplitude oscillations of population densities which would eventually result in species extinction. On the other hand, these theoretical predic- tions are often at odds with ecological observations demonstrating stable dynamics even for a high nutrient load. This apparent discrepancy is known in the literature as Rosen- zweig’s “paradox of enrichment”. Recent theoretical works emphasize a crucia…
Innate antipredator behavior can promote infection in fish even in the absence of predators
Natural enemies—predators and parasites—largely shape the dynamics of ecosystems. It is known that antipredator and antiparasite defense can be mutually conflicting, however consequences of this trade-off for the regulation of infection burden in animals are still poorly understood. We hypothesize that even in the absence of cues from predators, innate antipredator behavior (“ghost of predation past”) interferes with defense against parasites and can enhance the infection risk. As a case study, we explore interactions between a commercial species, the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, and its parasite, the trematode eye-fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum. Fish–parasite interactions were te…