Parasite Dynamics in Wild Ungulates

Parasite communities in wild ungulates exert profound influences on host fitness, population regulation and ecosystem functioning. Gastrointestinal nematodes, lungworms and protozoan pathogens interact with host age, sex and reproductive status to create complex patterns of infection and disease. Seasonal fluctuations in climate and vegetation drive variation in parasite development and transmission, while landscape heterogeneity at fine spatial scales governs local infection risk. Host behaviour and movement, including migrations or use of shared water and foraging sites, mediate spillover between wild and domestic herbivores. Advances in non-invasive monitoring—combining faecal egg counts, molecular assays and physiological stress markers—have illuminated cryptic burdens and demographic hotspots of infection. Mathematical and simulation models further reveal how environmental drivers such as rainfall, temperature and interspecific interactions shape parasite transmission potential. Understanding these dynamics is critical for wildlife management, livestock health and zoonotic risk mitigation at the interface of natural and agricultural systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Work on free-ranging roe deer has demonstrated that the presence of cattle and degraded habitat quality jointly elevate physiological stress and lung nematode burdens. By measuring non-invasive cortisol metabolites alongside nematode larvae counts, researchers have shown that stress responses are highest in poor-quality habitats when livestock graze sympatrically, linking ecosystem disturbance to increased parasite transmission and host susceptibility. This integrated approach offers a template for assessing wildlife health under multi-use landscapes and informs management strategies that balance grazing practices with conservation objectives.

Parasite Dynamics in Wild Ungulates publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in parasite dynamics in wild ungulates across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN): Parasitic roundworms inhabiting the digestive tract of vertebrate hosts.

Faecal egg count (FEC): A quantitative assessment of parasite burden based on counting eggs per gram of faeces.

DNA metabarcoding: High-throughput sequencing of genetic markers to identify multiple species within environmental or faecal samples.

Nemabiome: The full assemblage of nematode species present within a host or ecosystem, as characterised by molecular methods.

Spatial autocorrelation: The pattern where similar measurements, such as parasite intensity, are geographically clustered due to environmental or host-related factors.

References

1. Age‐specific impacts of vegetation functional traits on gastrointestinal nematode parasite burdens in a large herbivore. Journal of Animal Ecology (2023).
2. Faecal metabarcoding provides improved detection and taxonomic resolution for non-invasive monitoring of gastrointestinal nematode parasites in wild moose populations. Parasites & Vectors (2023).
3. Metabarcoding in two isolated populations of wild roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) reveals variation in gastrointestinal nematode community composition between regions and among age classes. Parasites & Vectors (2021).
4. The effect of livestock on the physiological condition of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is modulated by habitat quality. Scientific Reports (2019).