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Resource predictability and host specificity in fleas: the effect of host body mass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

B. R. KRASNOV ,
S. MORAND ,
D. MOUILLOT ,
G. I. SHENBROT ,
I. S. KHOKHLOVA  and
R. POULIN
B. R. KRASNOV
Affiliation:
Ramon Science Center and Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 194, Mizpe Ramon 80600, Israel
S. MORAND
Affiliation:
Center for Biology and Management of Populations, Campus International de Baillarguet, CS 30016 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France
D. MOUILLOT
Affiliation:
UMR CNRS-UMII 5119 Ecosystemes Lagunaires, University of Montpellier II, CC093, FR-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
G. I. SHENBROT
Affiliation:
Ramon Science Center and Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 194, Mizpe Ramon 80600, Israel
I. S. KHOKHLOVA
Affiliation:
Desert Animals Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
R. POULIN
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Abstract

Ecological specialization is hypothesized to result from the exploitation of predictable resource bases. For parasitic organisms, one prediction is that parasites of large-bodied host species, which tend to be long-lived, should specialize on these hosts, whereas parasites of small host species, which represent more ephemeral and less predictable resources, should become generalists. We tested this prediction by quantifying the association between the level of host specificity of fleas and the mean body mass of their mammalian hosts, using published data from 2 large, distinct geographical regions (South Africa and northern North America). In general, we found supporting evidence that flea host specificity, measured either as the number of host species exploited or their taxonomic distinctness, became more pronounced with increasing host body mass. There were, however, some discrepancies among the results depending on the different measures of host specificity, the geographical region studied, or whether we used the raw values or phylogenetically independent contrasts. These are discussed with respect to other forces acting on the evolution of host specificity in parasites, as well as in the context of the regions' contrasting evolutionary histories. Overall, though, our findings indicate that the exploitation of large-bodied, and therefore long-lived, host species has promoted specialization in fleas, most likely because these hosts represent predictable resources.

Keywords

fleashost body sizehost specificitymammalsNorth AmericaSouth Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 133 , Issue 1 , July 2006 , pp. 81 - 88
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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