Temperature and Resources Interact to Affect Transmission via Host Foraging Rate and Susceptibility

Abstract

Environmental conditions such as temperature and resource availability can shape disease transmission by altering contact rates and/or the probability of infection given contact. However, interactive effects of these factors on transmission processes remain poorly understood. We develop mechanistic models and fit them to experimental data to uncover how temperature and resources jointly affect transmission of fungal parasites (Metschnikowia bicuspidata) in zooplankton hosts (Daphnia dentifera). Model competition revealed interactive effects of temperature and resources on both contact rates (host foraging) and the probability of infection given contact (per-parasite susceptibility). Foraging rates increased with temperature and decreased with resources (via type-II functional response), but this resource effect weakened at warmer temperatures due to shorter handling times. Per-parasite susceptibility increased with resources at cooler temperatures but remained consistently high when warmer. Our analysis demonstrates that temperature and resources interact to shape transmission processes and provides a general theoretical framework for other host–parasite systems.