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The Journal of animal ecology2026; doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.70368

Host-mediated filtering and interspecific associations structure strongyle parasite communities in Sable Island horses.

Abstract: Mixed-species parasite infections are common in wildlife, yet the ecological processes that structure these communities remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that host-mediated and extrinsic environmental filtering, alongside biotic interactions, act concurrently to shape parasite community composition, and that these structuring patterns would depend on parasite traits or evolutionary history. We applied nemabiome DNA metabarcoding to 3147 faecal samples from 916 feral horses with no history of anthelmintic treatment, collected over 10 years as part of a long-term individual-based study on Sable Island, Canada. Using joint species distribution models, we tested whether strongyle parasite communities were structured by host-associated factors, extrinsic environmental variables or interspecific interactions. Host factors, particularly age and individual identity, explained the greatest proportion of variation in both parasite prevalence and infection intensity, indicating strong host-mediated environmental filtering. In contrast, spatial location and year explained minimal variation, suggesting weaker effects of extrinsically mediated environmental filtering. Parasite traits such as body size and gut site preference had limited associations with species' environmental responses. Positive species associations were common, particularly among species occupying the same gut region, suggesting that strong, consistent competitive interactions were not prominently reflected in the residual covariance structure. Negative associations were less frequent but consistently involved Strongylus equinus, indicating potential context-dependent biotic interactions involving this species. By integrating species-level molecular data with hierarchical joint species models, this study quantifies patterns of host-related filtering and species co-variation within a natural parasite community and provides a framework for examining mixed infections in wild systems.
© 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
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Publication Date: 2026-10-12 PubMed ID: 42861915DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70368Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study investigates how parasite communities—specifically strongyle nematodes—in wild Sable Island horses are shaped by host characteristics, environmental factors, and interactions between parasite species.
  • Using DNA metabarcoding and advanced statistical models on a large sample set over 10 years, the research finds that host-mediated filtering plays the strongest role in structuring these parasite communities while interspecific associations also influence species co-occurrence patterns.

Research Context and Objectives

  • Mixed-species infections by parasites are common in wildlife, but the ecological mechanisms driving how these parasite communities form and persist are not fully understood.
  • The authors hypothesized that parasite community composition is influenced by multiple concurrent processes:
    • Host-mediated environmental filtering (host traits affecting parasite presence and abundance)
    • Extrinsic environmental filtering (effects of spatial and temporal environment)
    • Biotic interactions between parasite species (competition or facilitation)
  • They further proposed that these community structuring patterns would vary depending on parasite biology such as body size or preferred gut location, or their evolutionary history.

Study System and Methods

  • Study location: Sable Island, Canada — a natural isolated ecosystem with a feral horse population that has never received antiparasitic treatments.
  • Data collection:
    • 3147 fecal samples collected from 916 individual horses over 10 years
    • Sampling part of a long-term individual-based ecological study
  • Laboratory analysis:
    • Used nemabiome DNA metabarcoding, a method that identifies and quantifies multiple nematode species from fecal DNA, enabling detailed species-level parasite community profiling without invasive methods.
  • Statistical approach:
    • Applied joint species distribution models: hierarchical models that can simultaneously analyze presence/absence and abundance of multiple parasite species, while considering host and environmental variables and residual correlations reflecting species interactions.

Key Findings

  • Host-mediated environmental filtering:
    • Host identity and age were the most important factors explaining variation in parasite prevalence and intensity.
    • Indicates strong host effects in determining which parasite species establish and how intensely they infect individuals.
  • Extrinsic environmental filtering:
    • Spatial location of horses on the island and year-to-year variation accounted for minimal parasite community variation.
    • Suggests that external environmental factors play a weaker role in shaping these parasite communities compared to host factors.
  • Parasite traits:
    • Traits such as nematode body size and specific gut site preferences had limited explanatory power for their environmental responses or distribution patterns.
  • Interspecific parasite associations:
    • Positive associations among parasite species were common, especially among species that occupy the same gut region.
    • This co-occurrence suggests lack of strong competitive exclusion within the gut environment.
    • Negative associations were less common and mostly involved Strongylus equinus, implying possible context-dependent competition or antagonism involving this particular species.

Implications and Contributions

  • The study provides robust quantitative evidence that host factors dominate structuring of parasite communities in wild horses, highlighting the importance of individual host characteristics such as age.
  • Extrinsic environmental filtering appears secondary in importance for these nematode communities, at least in the relatively stable conditions of Sable Island.
  • Detection of widespread positive species co-occurrences challenges assumptions about pervasive strong competition among parasites sharing the same niche.
  • Negative species interactions, while rare, may be important in specific contexts, such as involving Strongylus equinus.
  • The integration of molecular nemabiome data with joint species models offers a powerful framework for future ecological studies of complex multi-species parasite infections in wildlife.
  • Findings may inform parasite management and conservation efforts by emphasizing the role of host variation rather than just environmental conditions.

Cite This Article

APA
Ahn S, McLoughlin PD, Poissant J. (2026). Host-mediated filtering and interspecific associations structure strongyle parasite communities in Sable Island horses. J Anim Ecol. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70368

Publication

The Journal of animal ecology
ISSN: 1365-2656
NlmUniqueID: 0376574
Country: England
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Ahn, Sangwook
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
McLoughlin, Philip D
  • Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Poissant, Jocelyn
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Grant Funding

  • L. David Dubé and Heather Ryan Veterinary Health and Research Fund
  • Leaders Opportunity Grant 25046 / Canada Foundation for Innovation
  • Discovery Grant 2019-04388 / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • Discovery Grant 2022-04584 / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

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