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Flea infestation reduces the life span of the common vole

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2009

G. DEVEVEY  and
P. CHRISTE
G. DEVEVEY*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 S. University Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19104, USA
P. CHRISTE
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
*
*Corresponding author: Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Tel: +1215 746 1732. Fax: +1215 898 8780. E-mail: godefroy.devevey@unil.ch
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Summary

Parasitism is often a source of variation in host's fitness components. Understanding and estimating its relative importance for fitness components of hosts is fundamental from physiological, ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Host-parasite studies have often reported parasite-induced reduction of host fecundity, whereas the effect of parasitism on host survival has been largely neglected. Here, we experimentally investigated the effect of infestation by rat fleas (Nosopsyllus fasciatus) on the life span of wild-derived male common voles (Microtus arvalis) bred in captivity. We found that the mean life span of parasitized voles was reduced by 36% compared to control voles. Parasitized voles had a smaller body size, but a relatively larger heart and spleen than control voles. These results indicate an effect of flea infestation on host life span and our findings strongly suggest that ectoparasites should be taken into account in the studies of host population dynamics.

Keywords

life-history traitsMicrotus arvalisNosopsyllus fasciatusparasitismsurvival
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 136 , Issue 11 , September 2009 , pp. 1351 - 1355
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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