The feral population of Soay sheep on St. Kilda undergoes persistent natural selection for resistance to deleterious nematode parasites. This host-parasite system has long been considered to be dominated by Teladorsagia circumcincta but new analysis has shown the situation is more complex with no one nematode species achieving a monopoly throughout the lifetime of the host. Furthermore, a significant component of the parasite community is comprised of a diverse array of protozoa whose effects on the sheep are as yet unknown. This research represents the first attempt to characterise the extent of parasite diversity in the Soay sheep population with the aim of understanding how parasite resistance evolves in a natural population harbouring taxonomically disparate parasite groups.
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