Temperature effects on the Schistocephalus solidus life cycle

Changing environments are affecting individual species and the interactions between them. This includes host-parasite interactions. Although much is known about temperature effects on individual species, much progress is still to be made in understanding how complex parasite life cycles can be affected by changing temperatures. Here, several experimental approaches are presented to help study host-parasite interactions under changing temperatures. Using these experimental data on different stages of the Schistocephalus solidus under a range of temperatures are collected. Combined with (re-analysed) literature data and these newly collected data are inputted into a mathematical model that is constructed to simulate the whole life cycle. These different studies show that most parts of the parasite life cycle respond in a domeshaped fashion to changing temperatures with optimum temperature higher than current means. Overall, densities of the different life stages of S. solidus do not appear to be strongly affected by changes in mean temperature when including different, antagonistic effects on each life stage using a mathematical modelling approach.