# Establishing a comprehensive host-parasite stable isotope database to unravel trophic relationships

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new global database of stable isotope values for host-parasite pairs to better understand their feeding relationships.

## Contribution

The study created a comprehensive database with over 3,200 new stable isotope entries for host-parasite pairs, tripling sulfur isotope data.

## Key findings

- The database includes 586 previously unpublished host-parasite pairs, doubling existing data.
- Sulfur isotope data were significantly expanded, addressing a major gap in the literature.
- The dataset covers underrepresented regions and uses appropriate host tissues for accurate comparisons.

## Abstract

Over the past decades, stable isotopes have been infrequently used to characterise host-parasite trophic relationships. This is because we have not yet identified consistent patterns in stable isotope values between parasites and their host tissues across species, which are crucial for understanding host-parasite dynamics. To address this, we initiated a worldwide collaboration to establish a unique database of stable isotope values of novel host-parasite pairs, effectively doubling the existing data in published literature. This database includes nitrogen, carbon, and sulphur stable isotope values. We present 3213 stable isotope data entries, representing 586 previously unpublished host-parasite pairs. Additionally, while existing literature was particularly limited in sulphur isotope values, we tripled information on this crucial element. By publishing unreported host-parasite pairs from previously unsampled areas of the world and using appropriate host tissues, our dataset stands unparalleled. We anticipate that end-users will utilise our database to uncover generalisable patterns, deepening our understanding of the complexities of parasite-host relationships and driving future research efforts in stable isotope parasitology.