Alexis Heckley , Daniel J Becker

Forest loss can affect host–parasite dynamics, posing risks to wildlife and human health. Most work has investigated how host traits moderate associations between forest loss and prevalence, but the role that parasite traits play is less understood. We synthesized parasite prevalence and parasite trait data from publicly available databases representing carnivores, ungulates, and primate host species. We combined these data with open-source, remote-sensing forest loss data and conducted multi-level phylogenetic meta-analyses. While we found no overall association between forest loss and prevalence across parasites, trends emerged when considering different parasite taxa. Further, although prevalence did not differ by transmission mode overall, forest-loss prevalence associations varied by transmission mode within parasite taxa. For instance, prevalence decreased with forest loss for closely transmitted helminths but increased for not closely transmitted helminths. These results illustrate that parasite traits must be considered to understand complex associations between environmental change and infection outcomes.