Junker, KerstinBoomker, JoopHorak, Ivan GerardKrasnov, Boris R.2024-07-192024-07-192024-06Junker, K., Boomker, J., Horak, I.G. & Krasnov, B.R. Ecto- and endoparasites of common reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, at two localities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa: community and network structure. Parasitology. 2024;151(7): 657-670. doi: 10.1017/S0031182024000532 .0031-1820 (print)1469-8161 (online)10.1017/S0031182024000532http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97141DATA : All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. The datasets used and/or analyses are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Parasite community structure is governed by functional traits of hosts and parasites. Notably, parasite populations and communities respond to host social and spatial behaviour. Many studies demonstrating these effects dealt with small-bodied host species, while the influence of host social patterns on parasite communities in large hosts remains understudied. In an earlier study on nyalas (Tragelaphus angasii), host age was more important than sex in structuring helminth communities and networks, but the influence of both was mediated by local environmental conditions, creating different locality patterns. Common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) differ from nyalas in spatial and social behaviour. Based on helminth and ectoparasite data from 56 reedbuck examined at two localities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, we asked which patterns are similar and which differ between the two host species. Similar to nyalas, reedbuck age was more important than sex in structuring communities and networks. However, local environmental conditions exerted the strongest influence on transmission patterns, especially in ectoparasites. Complex interactions between reedbuck traits, parasite traits and local environmental conditions modulated the risk of infection differently at the two sites, confirming our earlier findings in nyalas that pooling data from different locations may obscure location-specific parasite community patterns. Similarities between patterns in reedbuck and nyalas, despite their behavioural differences, suggest some common patterns in parasite community ecology that, in turn, are determined mostly by parasite traits and population dynamics.en© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence.HelminthsTicksLiceHost-parasite interactionsInfracommunitiesNestednessSDG-03: Good health and well-beingSDG-15: Life on landArticle