When parasites disagree: Evidence for parasite-induced sabotage of host manipulation

摘要: Host manipulation is a common parasite strategy to alter host behavior in manner enhance fitness usually by increasing the parasite's transmission next host. In nature, hosts often harbor multiple parasites with agreeing or conflicting interests over manipulation. Natural selection might drive such cooperation, compromise, sabotage. Sabotage would occur if one suppresses of another. Experimental studies on effect multi-parasite interactions are scarce, clear experimental evidence for sabotage elusive. We tested infections using laboratory-bred copepods experimentally infected trophically transmitted tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus. This known manipulate its depending own developmental stage. Coinfecting same aim each other's but only after reaching infectivity. If coinfecting disagree manipulation, infective wins this conflict: noninfective has no effect. The winning (i.e., infective) competitor. presents conclusive both cooperation and hence proof principal that can even neutralize