Researchers studying grey wolf populations in Yellowstone National Park have discovered an intriguing reason why some wolves may be more inclined to become pack leaders.
Grey wolves exposed to Toxoplasma gondii -- the parasite that causes the disease toxoplasmosis -- are more than 46 times more likely to become a pack leader than uninfected wolves, according to a study published Thursday inThe researchers analyzed behavioral and distribution data from 1995 to 2020 as well as blood samples from 229 anaesthetized wolves to study the association between risk-taking behaviors and infection with Toxoplasma gondii.
Infection with T. gondii often has no negative effects on the fitness of healthy individuals but can be fatal to young or immunosuppressed wolves, according to the researchers. They don't yet know how this parasite influences things like survival rates, according to Connor Meyer, a wildlife biology Ph.D. student at the University of Montana and one of the authors of the study.
The wolves occupying areas that overlapped with a higher population density of cougars were more likely to be infected with T. gondii than those not living near cougars, suggesting that wolves may become infected with the parasite as a result of direct contact with cougars and their environments, the researchers found. Cougars in Yellowstone National Park are known to be hosts of the parasite.
The researchers hypothesized that the infection would have wider implications on the wolf population, as infected pack leaders could lead their packs into more high-risk areas that overlap with cougars, potentially increasing the risk of further infection for uninfected wolves.
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