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Effects of ectoparasite infestation during pregnancy on physiological stress and reproductive output in a rodent-flea system
Authors:Elizabeth M Warburton  Irina S Khokhlova  Rupert Palme  Elena N Surkova  Boris R Krasnov
Institution:1. Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel;2. Wyler Department of Dryland 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, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel;3. Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria;4. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
Abstract:Biotic and abiotic stressors impose various fitness costs on individuals across a variety of taxa. In vertebrates, these stressors typically trigger complex neuroendocrine responses that stimulate glucocorticoid (GC) secretion from the adrenal cortex. Short-term elevation of GCs can be adaptive as it shifts energy toward physiological processes that cope with acute stressors; however, chronic increases in GC levels could have detrimental effects on fitness. Parasitism can be considered an important biotic stressor in nature and a possible cause of reproductive failure that could substantially affect an individual’s fitness. Thus, we aimed to test the effects of parasitism and maternal stress, as measured by GCs, during pregnancy and the relationship between these variables and measures of reproductive output using a rodent-flea system. Female Egyptian spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) were randomly assigned to flea (Parapulex chephrenis) infested or uninfested treatments before and during pregnancy. The offspring of these females were flea-free. Feces were collected at five time points during the experiment to determine maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGCM) concentrations. Overall, infested females had lower FGCM levels during gestation but higher FGCM levels post-parturition and larger mass changes than uninfested females. Additionally, models related to pup quality and quantity often included some measure of maternal investment or body condition moderating relationships between infestation and stress. This suggests that flea parasitism or high GC levels alone might not significantly impact host reproduction but rather females can experience different effects depending on their level of investment, which could be limited by body condition and/or the number of pups present in a litter.
Keywords:Glucocorticoids  Parasitism  Reproductive fitness  Spiny mice  Fleas
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