Density-dependent sex ratio and sex-specific preference for host traits in parasitic bat flies

Szentiványi, Tamara; Vincze, Orsolya; Estók, Péter

doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2340-0

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…These results generally support our hypotheses regarding the effects of the body condition and host state on the parasite infestation. These results also concur with previous findings that bats with better body condition or nutritional status tend to be more heavily infested [ 10 , 28 , 35 ], and thus do not support the prediction of the tasty chick hypothesis [ 14 ]. However, in the present study, the relationship of the parasite abundance and body condition varies among different parasite species or across bats of various states in different seasons.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…While male-biased helminth infections are commonly reported in certain mammals and some other vertebrates, such as fish and birds [23, but see 24], ectoparasitic arthropod parasites appear less consistent in their selection of host sex [ 25 ]. Nonetheless, female-biased arthropod parasitism in bats is commonly observed in both temperate (e.g., [ 26 – 28 ]) and tropical zones (e.g., [ 29 – 31 ]). This bias may be attributed to the sexually different and season-specific reproductive behaviors of bats (e.g., sex-based roost segregation and parental care; [ 32 ]), or changes in the female immunocompetence and body condition during reproduction [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of host state and body condition on parasite infestation of bent-wing bats

et al. 2022

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Background Ectoparasites inhabit the body surface or outgrowths of hosts and are usually detrimental to host health and wellbeing. Hosts, however, vary in quality and may lead ectoparasites to aggregate on preferred hosts, resulting in a heterogeneous distribution of parasite load among hosts. Results We set out to examine the effects of host individual state and body condition on the parasite load of multiple nycteribiid and streblid bat flies and Spinturnix wing mites on eastern bent-wing bats Miniopterus fuliginosus in a tropical forest in southern Taiwan. We detected a high parasite prevalence of 98.9% among the sampled bats, with nearly 75% of the bats harboring three or more species of parasites. The parasite abundance was higher in the wet season from mid spring to early fall, coinciding with the breeding period of female bats, than in the dry winter season. In both seasonal periods, the overall parasite abundance of adult females was higher than that of adult males. Among the bats, reproductive females, particularly lactating females, exhibited a higher body condition and were generally most infested. The Penicillidia jenynsii and Nycteribia parvula bat flies showed a consistent female-biased infection pattern. The N. allotopa and Ascodipteron speiserianum flies, however, showed a tendency towards bats of a moderate to higher body condition, particularly reproductive females and adult males. Conclusions We found an overall positive correlation between parasite abundance and reproductive state and body condition of the host and female-biased parasitism for M. fuliginosus bats. However, the effects of body condition and female-biased infestation appear to be parasite species specific, and suggest that the mobility, life history, and potential inter-species interactions of the parasites may all play important roles.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of host state and body condition on parasite infestation of bent-wing bats

et al. 2022

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“…For example, Wolbachia infection is known to inhibit malarial infection in mosquitos (143). Additionally, it is important to understand how bat host traits such as sex, geographical distribution and/or host group size [which are known to shape the distribution of bat fly populations (17, 128, 129)] may affect the occurrence of microparasitic communities in these ectoparasites. Lastly, experimental studies are needed to understand the relationship between bat hosts and ectoparasites, including the transmission and the distribution of microparasites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat Flies and Their Microparasites: Current Knowledge and Distribution

2019

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Bats are the second most diverse mammalian group, playing keystone roles in ecosystems but also act as reservoir hosts for numerous pathogens. Due to their colonial habits which implies close contacts between individuals, bats are often parasitized by multiple species of micro- and macroparasites. The particular ecology, behavior, and environment of bat species may shape patterns of intra- and interspecific pathogen transmission, as well as the presence of specific vectorial organisms. This review synthetizes information on a multi-level parasitic system: bats, bat flies and their microparasites. Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are obligate, hematophagous ectoparasites of bats consisting of ~500 described species. Diverse parasitic organisms have been detected in bat flies including bacteria, blood parasites, fungi, and viruses, which suggest their vectorial potential. We discuss the ecological epidemiology of microparasites, their potential physiological effects on both bats and bat flies, and potential research perspectives in the domain of bat pathogens. For simplicity, we use the term microparasite throughout this review, yet it remains unclear whether some bacteria are parasites or symbionts of their bat fly hosts.

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“…Furthermore, similar sex-specific density-dependent effects are observed across taxa, e.g. in ectoparasites [ 59 ], fishes [ 60 ], lizards [ 61 ] and large herbivores [ 62 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Modeling the effects of Aedes aegypti’s larval environment on adult body mass at emergence

et al. 2021

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Mosquitoes vector harmful pathogens that infect millions of people every year, and developing approaches to effectively control mosquitoes is a topic of great interest. However, the success of many control measures is highly dependent upon ecological, physiological, and life history traits of mosquito species. The behavior of mosquitoes and their potential to vector pathogens can also be impacted by these traits. One trait of interest is mosquito body mass, which depends upon many factors associated with the environment in which juvenile mosquitoes develop. Our experiments examined the impact of larval density on the body mass of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are important vectors of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and other pathogens. To investigate the interactions between the larval environment and mosquito body mass, we built a discrete time mathematical model that incorporates body mass, larval density, and food availability and fit the model to our experimental data. We considered three categories of model complexity informed by data, and selected the best model within each category using Akaike’s Information Criterion. We found that the larval environment is an important determinant of the body mass of mosquitoes upon emergence. Furthermore, we found that larval density has greater impact on body mass of adults at emergence than on development time, and that inclusion of density dependence in the survival of female aquatic stages in models is important. We discuss the implications of our results for the control of Aedes mosquitoes and on their potential to spread disease.

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Density-dependent sex ratio and sex-specific preference for host traits in parasitic bat flies

Cited by 12 publications

References 68 publications

Effects of host state and body condition on parasite infestation of bent-wing bats

Effects of host state and body condition on parasite infestation of bent-wing bats

Bat Flies and Their Microparasites: Current Knowledge and Distribution

Modeling the effects of Aedes aegypti’s larval environment on adult body mass at emergence

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