Stress and parasitism of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in dry and floodplain environments
| Autor: | T. T. Brown, C. A. Fuller |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2006 |
| Předmět: |
geography
Peromyscus geography.geographical_feature_category Floodplain Ecology fungi Environmental stressor Environmental factor Intestinal parasite Zoology Parasitism Biology biology.organism_classification medicine.disease_cause chemistry.chemical_compound chemistry Corticosterone medicine Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Sex ratio |
| Zdroj: | Canadian Journal of Zoology. 84:1833-1839 |
| ISSN: | 1480-3283 0008-4301 |
| Popis: | We hypothesized that flooding represents an environmental stressor that might affect the corticosterone levels, parasite prevalence, and life history of small mammals living in floodplain environments. We compared populations of white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818)) on floodplains and dry areas. We found more males on floodplains (p = 0.008) and more females on dry areas (p = 0.005). There were no differences in mass (p > 0.05) or intestinal parasite prevalence (p = 0.665) between dry and floodplain habitats, but bot fly larvae were significantly more prevalent in males living on floodplains (p = 0.043). Floodplain animals had significantly higher levels of corticosterone than dry-area animals in fall, and lower levels in summer (F[1,20] = 4.483, p = 0.047). In addition, we found that animals with intestinal parasites had higher levels of corticosterone than those that were without parasites (p = 0.014) or that harbored bot fly larvae (p = 0.001). Floodplains seem to be harsher environments than dry areas, but this may be a result of differences in habitat rather than a direct result of flooding. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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