Ectoparasite infestation and sex-biased local recruitment of hosts

Philipp Heeb (), Isabelle Werner, A. C. Mateman, Mathias Kölliker, Martin W. G. Brinkhof, C. M. Lessells and Heinz Richner
Additional contact information
Philipp Heeb: University of Bern, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution
Isabelle Werner: University of Bern, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution
A. C. Mateman: Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Mathias Kölliker: University of Bern, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution
Martin W. G. Brinkhof: University of Bern, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution
C. M. Lessells: Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Heinz Richner: University of Bern, Centre for Behaviour and Evolution

Nature, 1999, vol. 400, issue 6739, 63-65

Abstract: Abstract Dispersal patterns of organisms are a fundamental aspect of their ecology, modifying the genetic and social structure of local populations1,2,3,4. Parasites reduce the reproductive success and survival of hosts and thereby exert selection pressure on host life-history traits4,5,6, possibly affecting host dispersal7,8,9. Here we test experimentally whether infestation by hen fleas, Ceratophyllus gallinae, affects sex-related recruitment of great tit, Parus major, fledglings. Using sex-specific DNA markers, we show that flea infestation led to a higher proportion of male fledglings recruiting in the local population in one year. In infested broods, the proportion of male recruits increased with brood size over a three year period, whereas the proportion of male recruits from uninfested broods decreased with brood size. Natal dispersal distances of recruits from infested nests were shorter than those from uninfested nests10. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence for parasite-mediated host natal dispersal and local recruitment in relation to sex. Current theory needs to consider parasites as potentially important factors shaping life-history traits associated with host dispersal.

Date: 1999
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/21881 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:400:y:1999:i:6739:d:10.1038_21881

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/21881

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().