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Abstract
The transmission of generalist parasites occurs at the intersection between hosts, parasites, and the environment. Hosts vary in their competence, and host community compositions change over time and space. Parasites differ in their mode of transmission, specificity for host species, and life history strategy. The environment directly affects the physiology of parasites and their hosts and indirectly affects parasite transmission via changes to host communities. I investigate the effects of biotic (e.g. host community composition) and abiotic (e.g. temperature) factors on host-parasite interactions across multiple biological scales. Across host species, I examine how host traits predict for parasite diversity and how parasite and environmental traits determine the geographic extent of a parasite’s spatial range. In host communities, I assess the separate and joint effects of host community composition, abundance, and environment on multi-host transmission. In host individuals, I test the effects of temperature and resource density and their interaction on components of transmission under experimental conditions.