• Ectoparasites population dynamics are affected by host body size but not host density or water temperature in a 32-year long time series 

      Henriksen, Eirik Haugstvedt; Frainer, André; Poulin, Robert; Knudsen, Rune; Amundsen, Per-Arne (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2022-11-22)
      Host density, host body size and ambient temperature have all been positively associated with increases in parasite infection. However, the relative importance of these factors in shaping long-term parasite population dynamics in wild host populations is unknown due to the absence of long-term studies. Here, we examine long-term drivers of gill lice (Copepoda) infections in Arctic charr (Salmonidae) ...
    • Global analysis of seasonal changes in trematode infection levels reveals weak and variable link to temperature 

      Paterson, Rachel; Poulin, Robert; Selbach, Christian (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-06-26)
      Seasonal changes in environmental conditions drive phenology, i.e., the annual timing of biological events ranging from the individual to the ecosystem. Phenological patterns and successional abundance cycles have been particularly well studied in temperate freshwater systems, showing strong and predictable synchrony with seasonal changes. However, seasonal successional changes in the abundance ...
    • Next-generation cophylogeny: unravelling eco-evolutionary processes 

      Costa, Isabel Blasco; Hayward, Alexander; Poulin, Robert; Balbuena, Juan A. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-07-07)
      A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is how microevolutionary processes translate into species diversification. Cophylogeny provides an appropriate framework to address this for symbiotic associations, but historically has been primarily limited to unveiling patterns. We argue that it is essential to integrate advances from ecology and evolutionary biology into cophylogeny, to gain ...
    • Parasites as prey in aquatic food webs: implications for predator infection and parasite transmission 

      Thieltges, David W.; Amundsen, Per-Arne; Hechinger, Ryan F.; Johnson, Pieter T.J.; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Mouritsen, Kim N.; Preston, Daniel L.; Reise, Karsten; Zander, C. Dieter; Poulin, Robert (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2013-04-25)
      While the recent inclusion of parasites into food-web studies has highlighted the role of parasites as consumers, there is accumulating evidence that parasites can also serve as prey for predators. Here we investigated empirical patterns of predation on parasites and their relationships with parasite transmission in eight topological food webs representing marine and freshwater ecosystems. Within ...