Density-dependent sex ratio and sex-specific preference for host traits in parasitic bat flies.

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Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_AB9BB93382EE
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Density-dependent sex ratio and sex-specific preference for host traits in parasitic bat flies.
Journal
Parasites & vectors
Author(s)
Szentiványi T., Vincze O., Estók P.
ISSN
1756-3305 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1756-3305
Publication state
Published
Issued date
29/08/2017
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
10
Number
1
Pages
405
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Deviation of sex ratios from unity in wild animal populations has recently been demonstrated to be far more prevalent than previously thought. Ectoparasites are prominent examples of this bias, given that their sex ratios vary from strongly female- to strongly male-biased both among hosts and at the metapopulation level. To date our knowledge is very limited on how and why these biased sex ratios develop. It was suggested that sex ratio and sex-specific aggregation of ectoparasites might be shaped by the ecology, behaviour and physiology of both hosts and their parasites. Here we investigate a highly specialised, hematophagous bat fly species with strong potential to move between hosts, arguably limited inbreeding effects, off-host developmental stages and extended parental care.
We collected a total of 796 Nycteribia kolenatii bat flies from 147 individual bats using fumigation and subsequently determined their sex. We report a balanced sex ratio at the metapopulation level and a highly variable sex ratio among infrapopulations ranging from 100% male to 100% female. We show that infrapopulation sex ratio is not random and is highly correlated with infrapopulation size. Sex ratio is highly male biased in small and highly female biased in large infrapopulations. We show that this pattern is most probably the result of sex-specific preference in bat flies for host traits, most likely combined with a higher mobility of males. We demonstrate that female bat flies exert a strong preference for high host body condition and female hosts, while the distribution of males is more even.
Our results suggest that locally biased sex ratios can develop due to sex-specific habitat preference of parasites. Moreover, it is apparent that the sex of both hosts and parasites need to be accounted for when a better understanding of host-parasite systems is targeted.

Keywords
Bat fly, Chiroptera, Density-dependence, Parasite intensity, Sex ratio
Pubmed
Open Access
Yes
Create date
06/09/2017 15:41
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:15
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