Fear of feces? Tradeoffs between disease risk and foraging drive animal activity around raccoon latrines

Abstract

Fear of predation alters prey behavior, which can indirectly alter entire landscapes. A parasite‐induced ecology of fear might also exist if animals avoid parasite‐contaminated resources when infection costs outweigh foraging benefits. To investigate whether animals avoid parasite contaminated sites, and if such avoidance balances disease costs and foraging gains, we monitored animal behavior at raccoon latrines – sites that concentrate both seeds and pathogenic parasite eggs. Using wildlife cameras, we documented over 40 potentially susceptible vertebrate species in latrines and adjacent habitat. Latrine contact rates reflected background activity, diet preferences and disease risk. Disease‐tolerant raccoons and rats displayed significant site attraction, while susceptible birds and small mammals avoided these high‐risk sites. This suggests that parasites, like predators, might create a landscape of fear for vulnerable hosts. Such non‐consumptive parasite effects could alter disease transmission, population dynamics, and even ecosystem structure.

Exposure and susceptibility drive reinfection with gastrointestinal parasites in a social primate

“…By linking defecation and individual space use, we extend approaches using social network parameters to estimate such exposure (Friant et al, 2016;Rimbach et al, 2015). As behavioural avoidance strategies are well documented (Poirotte et al, 2017;Weinstein, Moura, Mendez, & Lafferty, 2018), it will be interesting for future studies to assess whether interindividual differences in environmental exposure are linked with behavioural adjustments to mitigate risk of parasite transmission, for example hygienic tendencies (Sarabian & MacIntosh, 2015).…”

Factors affecting the spread of parasites in populations of wild European terrestrial mammals

“…This phenomenon is known as the Blandscape of disgust^ (Weinstein et al 2018a) and is similar to the Blandscape of fear^theory of predator avoidance in that parasite avoidance behavior can also affect ecology and evolution (Kuijper et al 2013;Schmidt and Kuijper 2015;Weinstein et al 2018a). Parasite and predator avoidance strategies sometimes have mutual effects, e.g., avoiding predator feces protects prey against both predators and their parasites (Weinstein et al 2018b). In much the same way as predator avoidance, parasite avoidance has strong effects on foraging, movement, and social interactions (Curtis 2014).…”

Parasite avoidance behaviours in aquatic environments

“…Similar trade-offs also occur in terrestrial environments. For example, trade-offs in nutrient intake were highlighted in a recent study where small mammals and birds, susceptible to the raccoon roundworm parasite Baylisascaris procyonis, were shown to avoid contaminated raccoon latrines that otherwise provide nutritious seed forage to animals not susceptible to the parasite [151].…”