Small But Fierce: Planktonic Predator‐Prey‐Parasite Interactions.

A study published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America tested the "healthy herds hypothesis," which suggests that predators can reduce parasitism and increase prey density. The study used a predator-prey-parasite system involving a phantom midge predator, zooplankton prey, and a fungal parasite. The results showed that predation did reduce infection prevalence, but it did not increase prey density. Instead, prey density either remained the same or decreased, likely due to high infection prevalence. This study provides partial support for the healthy herds hypothesis and suggests that predation can result in a healthier but depleted prey population. [Extracted from the article]

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