Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Botfly (Philornis seguyi) Parasitism on House Wren Nestlings

The condor

Martín A. Quiroga¹ 

关键词: botfly;    ectoparasite;    House Wren;    Philornis seguyi;    Troglodytes aedon;   

DOI  :  10.1525/cond.2012.110152

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

Abstract. We studied the effect of botfly (Philornis seguyi) parasitism on survival and growth of House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) nestlings. We investigated whether nestling survival was related to (1) the intensity of botfly infestation, (2) age of the nestling at the time it was parasitized, and (3) the order in which a chick hatched within a brood. The prevalence of botfly parasitism was 25%; the mean intensity and age at parasitism were 12.8 larvae per nestling and 3.9 days, respectively. Nestling survival was 42% lower in infested than in noninfested broods. Nestling survival was negatively associated with the mean intensity of parasitism of the brood and positively associated with the age of the nestling at the time it was parasitized. Within infested broods, nestling survival was higher in chicks hatched first than in chicks hatched last. Infested nestlings that survived until fledging grew at lower rates and remained in the nest longer than did nestlings in noninfested broods. Our results reveal th...

【 授权许可】

CC BY