TY - JOUR
T1 - Reproductive performance in generalist haematophagous ectoparasites
T2 - maternal environment, rearing conditions or both?
AU - van der Mescht, Luther
AU - Khokhlova, Irina S.
AU - Surkova, Elena N.
AU - Warburton, Elizabeth M.
AU - Krasnov, Boris R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - We tested whether and how the maternal environment (i.e. host species exploited by a mother), rearing conditions (i.e. host species exploited by her offspring) or both (i.e. matches and mismatches in host species exploited by a mother and her offspring) affect reproductive performance in the offspring. We experimentally manipulated maternal and rearing environments in two generalist fleas (Xenopsylla conformis and Xenopsylla ramesis) implementing a factorial cross-rearing design. Mothers exploited either the principal host (PH) or auxiliary hosts that were either closely (CAH) or distantly related (DAH) to the PH. After six generations of infesting a given host species, we cross-reared fleas within and between host species. These fleas reproduced and we measured their reproductive performance both quantitatively (i.e. egg number) and qualitatively (i.e. egg size, development time, body size of the next generation). We found that identity of the host a flea was reared on (=actual host) had the strongest effect on its performance. Individuals reared on the PH performed considerably better than those reared on either auxiliary host. Moreover, fleas reared on a CAH performed better than those reared on a DAH. Actual host identity also had a stronger effect on reproductive performance in X. ramesis than in X. conformis. Nevertheless, there was no difference in performance between match and mismatch maternal and actual host identities. We conclude that rearing environment has the strongest effect on fitness in generalist parasites. Moreover, phylogenetic distance between an auxiliary host and the PH determines the level of suitability of the former.
AB - We tested whether and how the maternal environment (i.e. host species exploited by a mother), rearing conditions (i.e. host species exploited by her offspring) or both (i.e. matches and mismatches in host species exploited by a mother and her offspring) affect reproductive performance in the offspring. We experimentally manipulated maternal and rearing environments in two generalist fleas (Xenopsylla conformis and Xenopsylla ramesis) implementing a factorial cross-rearing design. Mothers exploited either the principal host (PH) or auxiliary hosts that were either closely (CAH) or distantly related (DAH) to the PH. After six generations of infesting a given host species, we cross-reared fleas within and between host species. These fleas reproduced and we measured their reproductive performance both quantitatively (i.e. egg number) and qualitatively (i.e. egg size, development time, body size of the next generation). We found that identity of the host a flea was reared on (=actual host) had the strongest effect on its performance. Individuals reared on the PH performed considerably better than those reared on either auxiliary host. Moreover, fleas reared on a CAH performed better than those reared on a DAH. Actual host identity also had a stronger effect on reproductive performance in X. ramesis than in X. conformis. Nevertheless, there was no difference in performance between match and mismatch maternal and actual host identities. We conclude that rearing environment has the strongest effect on fitness in generalist parasites. Moreover, phylogenetic distance between an auxiliary host and the PH determines the level of suitability of the former.
KW - Fleas
KW - Maternal environment
KW - Mismatching environments
KW - Offspring performance
KW - Rearing conditions
KW - Rodents
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066094897&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00436-019-06353-3
DO - 10.1007/s00436-019-06353-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85066094897
SN - 0932-0113
VL - 118
SP - 2087
EP - 2096
JO - Parasitology Research
JF - Parasitology Research
IS - 7
ER -