The study of host–parasite co-evolution is a central topic in evolutionary ecology.However,research is still fragmented and the extent to which parasites influence host life history is debated.One reason for this inc...The study of host–parasite co-evolution is a central topic in evolutionary ecology.However,research is still fragmented and the extent to which parasites influence host life history is debated.One reason for this incomplete picture is the frequent omission of environmental conditions in studies analyzing host–parasite dynamics,which may influence the exposure to or effects of parasitism.To contribute to elucidating the largely unresolved question of how environmental conditions are related to the prevalence and intensity of infestation and their impact on hosts,we took advantage of 25 years of monitoring of a breeding population of pied flycatchers,Ficedula hypoleuca,in a Mediterranean area of central Spain.We investigated the influence of temperature and precipitation during the nestling stage at a local scale on the intensity of blowfly(Protocalliphora azurea)parasitism during the nestling stage.In addition,we explored the mediating effect of extrinsic and intrinsic factors and blowfly parasitism on breeding success(production of fledglings)and offspring quality(nestling mass on day 13).The prevalence and intensity of blowfly parasitism were associated with different intrinsic(host breeding date,brood size)and extrinsic(breeding habitat,mean temperature)factors.Specifically,higher average temperatures during the nestling phase were associated with lower intensities of parasitism,which may be explained by changes in blowflies’activity or larval developmental success.In contrast,no relationship was found between the prevalence of parasitism and any of the environmental variables evaluated.Hosts that experienced high parasitism intensities in their broods produced more fledglings as temperature increased,suggesting that physiological responses to severe parasitism during nestling development might be enhanced in warmer conditions.The weight of fledglings was,however,unrelated to the interactive effect of parasitism intensity and environmental conditions.Overall,our results highlight the temperature dependence of parasite–host interactions and the importance of considering multiple fitness indicators and climate-mediated effects to understand their complex implications for avian fitness and population dynamics.展开更多
基金support from projects CGL2006-07481/BOS(to J.C.Senar),CGL2009-10652(to J.C.Senar),CGL2011-29694(to J.Potti),and CGL2014-55969-P(to F.Valera)from the Spanish Ministry of Educationwell as project PAC05-006-2(to J.A.Dávila)from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha(Spain)+6 种基金During the writing process,E.G.B.was supported by a Margarita Salas Contract financed by the European Union-NextGenerationEU and the Recovery,Transformation,and Resilience Plan(Spanish Ministry of Universities)D.C.received support through a Talent Attraction fellowship from the Autonomous Community of Madrid(CAM),Spain(2022-T1_AMB-24025)the projects PID2022-141763NA-I00,CGL2015-70639-P,and PID2019-104835GB-I00funded by MCIN/AEI(doi:10.13039/501100011033)C.C.was supported by the grant ref.RYC2021-033977-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033the European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR.J.M.P.was supported by the ARAID FoundationFunding for open access charge:Universidad de Granada/CBUA.
文摘The study of host–parasite co-evolution is a central topic in evolutionary ecology.However,research is still fragmented and the extent to which parasites influence host life history is debated.One reason for this incomplete picture is the frequent omission of environmental conditions in studies analyzing host–parasite dynamics,which may influence the exposure to or effects of parasitism.To contribute to elucidating the largely unresolved question of how environmental conditions are related to the prevalence and intensity of infestation and their impact on hosts,we took advantage of 25 years of monitoring of a breeding population of pied flycatchers,Ficedula hypoleuca,in a Mediterranean area of central Spain.We investigated the influence of temperature and precipitation during the nestling stage at a local scale on the intensity of blowfly(Protocalliphora azurea)parasitism during the nestling stage.In addition,we explored the mediating effect of extrinsic and intrinsic factors and blowfly parasitism on breeding success(production of fledglings)and offspring quality(nestling mass on day 13).The prevalence and intensity of blowfly parasitism were associated with different intrinsic(host breeding date,brood size)and extrinsic(breeding habitat,mean temperature)factors.Specifically,higher average temperatures during the nestling phase were associated with lower intensities of parasitism,which may be explained by changes in blowflies’activity or larval developmental success.In contrast,no relationship was found between the prevalence of parasitism and any of the environmental variables evaluated.Hosts that experienced high parasitism intensities in their broods produced more fledglings as temperature increased,suggesting that physiological responses to severe parasitism during nestling development might be enhanced in warmer conditions.The weight of fledglings was,however,unrelated to the interactive effect of parasitism intensity and environmental conditions.Overall,our results highlight the temperature dependence of parasite–host interactions and the importance of considering multiple fitness indicators and climate-mediated effects to understand their complex implications for avian fitness and population dynamics.
