Affiliation:
1. Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA
2. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Abstract
Abstract
Although parasites are by definition costly to their host, demonstrating that a parasite is regulating its host abundance in the field can be difficult. Here we present an example of a gregarine parasite, Ascogregarina taiwanensis Lien and Levine (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae), regulating its mosquito host, Aedes albopictus Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae), in Bermuda. We sampled larvae from container habitats over 2 yr, assessed parasite prevalence, and estimated host abundance from egg counts obtained in neighboring ovitraps. We regressed change in average egg count from 1 yr to the next on parasite prevalence and found a significant negative effect of parasite prevalence. We found no evidence of host density affecting parasite prevalence. Our results demonstrate that even for a parasite with moderate virulence, host regulation can occur in the field.
Funder
Clark University
National Institutes of Health
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Insect Science,General Veterinary,Parasitology
Cited by
1 articles.
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