Mate choice is affected by parasite infestation rate of the choosing individual as well as of potential mating partners  

作　　者：Alejandro Cantarero Olga VDolnik Matteo Griggio Herbert Hoi 

机构地区：[1]Department of Physiology,Veterinary School,Complutense University of Madrid,Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n,28040 Madrid,Spain [2]Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution,Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology(KLIVV),University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna,Savoyenstraße 1a,A-1160 Vienna,Austria [3]Dipartimento di Biologia,Universitàdi Padova,Via U.Bassi 58/B,I-35131 Padova,Italy

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2023年第5期559-567,共9页动物学报（英文版）

摘　　要：Parasites are known to be a key driving force in mate choice and are important for the expression and evolution of ornaments and behavioral traits being used.However,there is little experimental evidence on how the parasite’s burden of the choosing individual is integrated into the mate-choice process and how it affects decision-making,especially in relation to parasite infestation of potential mates.Thus,the aim of our study was to determine whether female house sparrows Passer domesticus adjust their mate preference according to their own as well as the parasite load of prospective partners.To do this,we experimentally manipulated female parasite load and determined their mate preferences prior to and after parasite treatment.We manipulated the chronic coccidian parasite burden of females either by initiating the acute infection phase via re-infecting them with coccidian or by temporally reducing the parasite load of coccidia.We then measured the effect of this manipulation on mate preference by presenting females with a choice of four stimuli:three males with similar ornaments,but unmanipulated,naturally varying chronic coccidiosis levels,and an unmanipulated control female.Additionally,we recorded some males’behavior in relation to their infection status pointing toward an increased or reduced interest in mating.We found that females preferred highly infested males prior to manipulation,regardless of their own infestation level.However,after manipulation,infested females avoided highly infested males probably in response to the deterioration of their health condition by parasites.Our study suggests that mate-choice decisions are more complex when they are mediated by parasites.The implications of parasites for evolutionary theories of sexual signaling and mate choice are discussed.

关 键 词：COCCIDIOSIS female decision mate choice parasites Passer domesticus Isospora spp 

分 类 号：Q958[生物学—动物学]