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Vol. 53, 2014
The effects of mite parasitism on the reproduction and
survival of the Taiwan field mice (Apodemus
semotus)
Jhan-Wei
Lin1, Hsuan-Yi Lo1, Hsi-Chieh Wang2
and Pei-Jen Lee Shaner1*
1C
2D
Abstract
Background: The effects of
parasitism on host survival and reproduction can be highly complex
depending on the type of parasites, host sex and life-history
characteristics, and ecological conditions. In this study, we tested
sex-biased parasitism from Trombiculid mites (Acarina: Trombiculidae)
and their sex-specific effects on host reproduction and survival, in a
natural population of the Taiwan field mouse (Apodemus semotus). We performed
surveys of A. semotus and
their Trombiculid mites between April 2010 and August 2011 and again
between June
and September 2012 in a subtropical evergreen forest in Taiwan.
Results: Contrary to the commonly reported
male-biased parasitism in mammals, we did not find sex-biased
parasitism in A. semotus. We found that mite abundance was negatively
associated with A. semotus reproduction and survival in both males and
females. The mite abundance and rodent reproduction fluctuated
seasonally, and the peak reproductive season coincided with the time
period of relatively low mite abundance.
Conclusions: Trombiculid mites
could potentially regulate A. semotus
populations through reducing their reproduction and survival. The
overlapping periods of peak reproduction and low parasitism implied
that A. semotus may adjust
their reproductive phenology to avoid periods of high parasitism or be
constrained by parasites to reproduce only during periods of low
parasitism. Although our results are correlational, host breeding
season has been shown to increase in response to experimental reduction
of parasitism. We suggest that parasites may shape host reproduction
phenology through which they may influence host population dynamics.
Key words: Ectoparasite; Host parasite; Life
history; Rodent; Sex-biased parasitism; Trombiculidae.
*Correspondence: E-mail:
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