Parasite-Mediated Competition Limits Dominant Cervid Competitor

Abstract

Species interactions structure ecological communities through direct and indirect pathways with ecosystem-wide implications. Despite mounting interest in the importance of indirect interactions, empirical evidence remains limited. Here, we demonstrate the critical role of parasite-mediated competition in driving community outcomes in a multi-species system of conservation and management concern. We leveraged 2 years of detection/non-detection data of moose (Alces alces) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and parasite loads in faecal samples within a hierarchical abundance-mediated interaction model to test hypotheses regarding interactions between these cervids and their shared parasites (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, Fascioloides magna). We demonstrate that moose occupancy was limited by parasite-mediated competition, with no evidence of population-level effects of direct competitive interactions between moose and white-tailed deer. Such evidence of the importance of indirect interactions and resulting community outcomes is critical for species conservation and managing range contractions due to increasing pressures from habitat loss, disease and climate change.