Abstract
Research on the interactions between the field voles (Microtus agrestis) of Kielder Forest and their natural parasites dates back to the 1930s. These early studies were primarily concerned with understanding how parasites shape the characteristic cyclic population dynamics of their hosts. However, since the early 2000s, research on the Kielder field voles has expanded considerably and the system has now been utilized for the study of host-parasite biology across many levels, including genetics, evolutionary ecology, immunology and epidemiology. The Kielder field voles therefore represent one of the most intensely and broadly studied natural host-parasite systems, bridging theoretical and empirical approaches to better understand the biology of infectious disease in the real world. This article synthesizes the body of work published on this system and summarizes some important insights and general messages provided by the integrated and multidisciplinary study of host-parasite interactions in the natural environment.
Highlights
Almost 90 years ago, Charles Elton drew attention to the potential importance of parasites in the dynamics of natural populations (Elton, 1924; Elton et al 1931)
From the early 2000s, the focus began to shift to populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis) (Fig. 1) in Kielder Forest on the England–Scotland border, living in grassland habitats and exhibiting multi-annual cycles in their abundance (Lambin et al 2000)
Infection prevalence may reach over 40% in Kielder field vole populations (Bown et al 2008; Telfer et al 2008) and probability of infection has a non-linear relationship with weight, with individuals of 20 g being at highest risk of becoming infected (Telfer et al 2008)
Summary
Research on the interactions between the field voles (Microtus agrestis) of Kielder Forest and their natural parasites dates back to the 1930s. These early studies were primarily concerned with understanding how parasites shape the characteristic cyclic population dynamics of their hosts. Since the early 2000s, research on the Kielder field voles has expanded considerably and the system has been utilized for the study of host–parasite biology across many levels, including genetics, evolutionary ecology, immunology and epidemiology. The Kielder field voles represent one of the most intensely and broadly studied natural host–parasite systems, bridging theoretical and empirical approaches to better understand the biology of infectious disease in the real world.
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