<p>  </p> <p>Predators and parasites are critical, interconnected members of the community and have the potential to influence host populations. Predators, in particular, can have direct and indirect impacts on disease dynamics. By removing hosts and their parasites, predators alter both host and parasite populations and ultimately shape disease transmission. Our ability to accurately predict disease dynamics requires understanding the ecological effects of predation on prey and host densities and its role in the coevolution of host resistance and parasite virulence. While the impact of predators on disease dynamics has received considerable attention, research has focused on selective predation on infected prey. There is, however, substantial evidence that some predators avoid infected prey, preferentially attacking uninfected individuals. Such different strategies of prey selectivity by predators modulate host-parasite interactions, changing the fitness payoffs both for hosts and their parasites. I use empirical results and theoretical predictions as a framework to discuss the mechanisms by which predation for infected versus uninfected individuals can affect disease dynamics. First, by integrating hypotheses from behavioral ecology and disease ecology, I outlined novel perspectives that complement the prevailing view of selective predation of infected individuals (Chapter 1). Then, exploring short-term ecological outcomes and long-term host-parasite coevolution, I investigated patterns of <em>Daphnia dentifera</em> host population densities and host susceptibility over several generations under different types of predation pressure, including selective predation on infected and uninfected individuals (Chapter 2). Finally, building on the results of this research, I developed a high school project-based lesson plan that facilitates the instruction of the nature of science, implementing on-going ecological research in activities to improve student learning based on a constructivist approach to learning (Chapter 3). Together this research highlights the differential ecological and evolutionary outcomes of host-parasite interactions under varying community contexts.</p>

L'objectif de cette étude était de mieux comprendre les relations entre les infections parasitaires, les réponses au stress physiologique et la condition corporelle des poissons. Nous avons pêché des crapets-soleil (Lepomis gibbosus) infectés naturellement par des douves et ténias (Apophallus sp., Uvulifer sp. et Proteocephalus ambloplitis) du lac Cromwell dans la région laurentienne du Québec et nous les avons soumis à différents traitements de stress aigu en laboratoire. Les niveaux de cortisol dans le plasma ont été mesurés à l’aide de la radio-immunoanalyse (RIA) et l’indice de condition de Fulton K ont été calculés pour chaque individu. Les individus avec une densité plus élevée d’Apophallus sp. et Uvulifer sp. présentaient une meilleure condition corporelle, tandis que ceux qui étaient plus fortement infectés par P.ambloplitis en avaient une plus pauvre. Les réponses au cortisol à la suite d’un stress aigu différaient d’un traitement à l’autre : les poissons ayant reçu le traitement d’un stress aigu unique présentaient des réponses au cortisol plasmatique significativement plus élevées, alors que tous les autres traitements montraient des niveaux de cortisol plus faibles. Cependant, ces différences de taux de cortisol n’étaient pas significativement liées à la densité parasitaire ou à la condition corporelle. Ces résultats suggèrent que, bien que la charge parasitaire influence la condition corporelle, elle ne semble pas affecter les réponses de cortisol causées par le stress. L’absence de relations significatives pourrait être liée à la présence réduite de certains phénotypes dans l’échantillon, ce qui pourrait révéler des tendances écologiques notables sur le cycle de vie des parasites. / The objective of this study was to better understand the relationships among parasite infection, physiological stress responses and the body condition of fish. We collected pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) naturally infected with helminthic flukes and tapeworms (Apophallus sp., Uvulifer sp., and Proteocephalus ambloplitis) from Lake Cromwell in the Quebec Laurentian region and subjected them to different stress treatments in the laboratory. Plasma cortisol levels were measured using radioimmunoassay (RIA), and Fulton's condition index K was calculated for each individual. Individuals with higher densities of Apophallus sp. and Uvulifer sp. had better body condition, while those more heavily infected with P. ambloplitis were in poorer condition. Cortisol responses following acute stress differed across treatments: fish that received the single acute stress treatment showed significantly higher plasma cortisol responses, whereas all other treatments showed lower cortisol levels. However, these differences in cortisol were not significantly related to parasite density or body condition. These results suggest that while parasite load influences body condition, it does not appear to directly affect stress-induced cortisol responses. The lack of significant relationships might be linked to the reduced presence of certain phenotypes in the sample, which may reveal important ecological trends on the parasite life cycle.