Question

I was reading about refuge effect in host-parasitoid models and I found somewhere that refuge does not have to be only a place in habitat where hosts can hide, but also some "situation" that allows them to be protected from parasitoid. So let's assume that the hosts are divided into two groups that live at the same place. The first group is for some reason protected from parasitoids and will not become parasitized (so they are in some kind of refuge, but not necessarily in physical refuge). Another group is exposed to parasitoids and may become infected. We can also assume that the hosts are in the same stage of development e.g. all of them are adults.

My question is: What would be an example of non-physical refuge in real life?

Answer 1

Non-physical refuges include scenarios like parasite escape due to relocation, temporal avoidance of parasitoid life cycles, and development of host resistance or immunity.

Step-by-step explanation:

In ecology, a non-physical refuge refers to a situation where hosts are protected from parasitoids not by hiding in a specific location, but through other means. An example of a non-physical refuge is the concept of parasite escape when hosts are relocated to a new geographic area and are not subjected to their native parasites. This lack of parasites can be considered a non-physical refuge as it offers protection against parasitic threats.

Another example is timing or seasonal refuges where hosts may avoid parasitism simply by not overlapping temporally with the life cycle of the parasite.

Finally, genetic or immunological refuges exist when hosts develop resistance or immunity to a parasite, making them less susceptible to infection without the need for physical barriers.