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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Energetic costs of parasitism in the Cape ground squirrel Xerus inauris
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Volume 274, No. 1622, Year 2007
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Description
Parasites have been suggested to influence many aspects of host behaviour. Some of these effects may be mediated via their impact on host energy budgets. This impact may include effects on both energy intake and absorption as well as components of expenditure, including resting metabolic rate (RMR) and activity (e.g. grooming). Despite their potential importance, the energy costs of parasitism have seldom been directly quantified in a field setting. Here we pharmacologically treated female Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) with anti-parasite drugs and measured the change in body composition, the daily energy expenditure (DEE) using doubly labelled water, the RMR by respirometry and the proportions of time spent looking for food, feeding, moving and grooming. Post-treatment animals gained an average 19 g of fat or approximately 25 kj d-1. DEE averaged 382 kj d-1 prior to and 375 kj d-1 post treatment (p > 0.05). RMR averaged 174 kj d-1 prior to and 217 kj d-1 post treatment (p < 0.009). Post-treatment animals spent less time looking for food and grooming, but more time on feeding. A primary impact of infection by parasites could be suppression of feeding behaviour and, hence, total available energy resources. The significant elevation of RMR after treatment was unexpected. One explanation might be that parasites produce metabolic by-products that suppress RMR. Overall, these findings suggest that impacts of parasites on host energy budgets are complex and are not easily explained by simple effects such as stimulation of a costly immune response. There is currently no broadly generalizable framework available for predicting the energetic consequences of parasitic infection. © 2007 The Royal Society.
Authors & Co-Authors
David M. Scantlebury, Michael
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
United Kingdom, Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Waterman, Jane M.
United States, Orlando
University of Central Florida
Hillegass, M.
United States, Orlando
University of Central Florida
Speakman, John Roger
United Kingdom, Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
Bennett, Nigel C.
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Statistics
Citations: 79
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1098/rspb.2007.0690
ISSN:
09628452
Research Areas
Environmental
Food Security
Noncommunicable Diseases
Participants Gender
Female