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Journal article

Flea infestation reduces the life span of the common vole.

  • Devevey G Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. godefroy.devevey@unil.ch
  • Christe P
  • 2009-08-08
Published in:
  • Parasitology. - 2009
Animals
Arvicolinae
Body Size
Ectoparasitic Infestations
Host-Parasite Interactions
Longevity
Male
Rodent Diseases
Siphonaptera
English 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.
Language
  • English
Open access status
green
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/283099
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