Feeding the host reshapes virulence: nonlinear scaling in a microsporidian pathogen.
Charlotte Carrier‐Belleau, Michael Officer, Niamh McCartan, Joseph Strawbridge, Nurfatin Zulkipli, Jeremy J. Piggott, Pepijn Luijckx
The paper shows that food availability non-linearly affects host and pathogen traits in a Daphnia magna-Ordospora colligata system, with host fecundity increasing and virulence peaking at intermediate resource levels.
bioRxiv · Mar 27, 2026 · PreprintZoology