Sexual size dimorphism and sex ratio in arthropod ectoparasites: contrasting patterns at different hierarchical scales |
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Authors: | Elena N Surkova Natalia P Korallo-Vinarskaya Maxim V Vinarski Michal Stanko Elizabeth M Warburton Luther van der Mescht Irina S Khokhlova Boris R Krasnov |
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Institution: | 1. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 33, 119071 Moscow, Russia;2. Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel;3. Omsk Research Institute of Natural Foci Infections, Mira Str. 7, 644080 Omsk, Russia;4. Lab. Macroecology and Biogeography of Invertebrates, Saint-Petersburg State Univ., Universitetskaya Emb. 7/9, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia;5. Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Omsk State Pedagogical Univ., Tukhachevskogo Emb. 14, 644099 Omsk, Russia;6. Institute of Parasitology and Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, SK-04001 Kosice, Slovakia;g. Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel |
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Abstract: | The aims of this study were to determine whether sexual size dimorphism in fleas and gamasid mites (i) conforms to Rensch’s rule (allometry of sexual size dimorphism) and (ii) covaries with sex ratio in infrapopulations (conspecific parasites harboured by an individual host), xenopopulations (conspecific parasites harboured by a population of a given host species in a locality) and suprapopulations (conspecific parasites harboured by an entire host community in a locality). Rensch’s rule in sexual size dimorphism was tested across 150 flea and 55 mite species, whereas covariation between sexual size dimorphism and sex ratio was studied using data on ectoparasites collected from small mammalian hosts in Slovakia and western Siberia. For fleas, we controlled for the confounding effect of phylogeny. The slope of the linear regression of female size on male size was significantly smaller than 1 in fleas, but did not differ from 1 in mites. The proportion of males in flea infrapopulations significantly increased with an increase in the female-to-male body size ratio. The same was true for obligatory haematophagous mites. No relationship between sex ratio and sexual size dimorphism was found for xenopopulations of either taxon or for mite suprapopulations. However, when controlling for the confounding effect of phylogeny, a significant negative correlation between sex ratio and sexual size dimorphism was revealed for flea suprapopulations. We conclude that (i) some macroecological patterns differ between ectoparasite taxa exploiting the same hosts (allometry in sexual size dimorphism), whereas other patterns are similar (sexual size dimorphism-sex ratio relationship in infrapopulations), and (ii) some patterns are scale-dependent and may demonstrate the opposite trends in parasite populations at different hierarchical levels. |
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Keywords: | Fleas Mites Palearctic Sexual size dimorphism Rensch’s rule |
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