Parasites in Host Hybrid and Contact Zones
Parasites can be a major determinant of interspecific interactions, particularly in hybrid and contact zones between species pairs, yet the outcome of those interactions can vary wildly depending on the situation and no common pattern has yet emerged in the literature. Parasites can have more detrimental effects on one species over the other, thereby driving the more affected species to extinction. In other circumstances, parasites can even allow two species to co-occur by reducing the competitive abilities of the otherwise more dominant species. In hybrid zones, parasites can also determine the levels of introgression between host parental species by governing the susceptibility of hybrid individuals. As novel host assemblages and interactions are becoming more frequent in an era of global climatic and anthropogenic upheaval, the role of parasites in determining host interactions is becoming an ever more pertinent question.