Host defence versus intraspecific competition in the regulation of infrapopulations of the flea Xenopsylla conformis on its rodent host Meriones crassus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Mechanisms that regulate parasite populations may influence the evolution of hosts and parasites, as well as the stability of host-parasite dynamics but are still poorly understood. A manipulation experiment on the grooming ability of rodent hosts (Meriones crassus) and flea (Xenopsylla conformis) densities on these hosts successfully disentangled two possible regulating mechanisms: (i) behavioural defence of the host and (ii) intraspecific competition among parasites, and revealed their importance in suppressing the feeding of fleas. Moreover, the results suggest that flea competition is direct and is not mediated by host grooming, immune response, or parasite-induced damage to the host. These mechanisms, together with interspecific competition and density-dependent parasite-induced host damage, may limit the parasite burden on an individual host and may prevent parasites from overexploiting their host population.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)919-925
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal for Parasitology
Volume37
Issue number8-9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2007

Keywords

  • Competition
  • Ectoparasites
  • Feeding success
  • Grooming
  • Host-parasite coexistence
  • Meriones crassus
  • Regulation mechanisms
  • Xenopsylla conformis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Host defence versus intraspecific competition in the regulation of infrapopulations of the flea Xenopsylla conformis on its rodent host Meriones crassus'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this