Coevolutionary arms races: increased host immune defense promotes specialization by avian fleas.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_D4202A65FD2C
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Coevolutionary arms races: increased host immune defense promotes specialization by avian fleas.
Journal
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Author(s)
Møller A.P., Christe P., Garamszegi L.Z.
ISSN
1010-061X[print], 1010-061X[linking]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2005
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
18
Number
1
Pages
46-59
Language
english
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between host defense and specialization by parasites in comparative analyses of bird fleas and T-cell mediated immune response of their avian hosts, showing that fleas with few main host species exploited hosts with weak or strong immune defenses, whereas flea species that parasitized a large number of host species only exploited hosts with weak immune responses. Hosts with strong immune responses were exploited by a larger number of flea species than hosts with weak responses. A path analysis model with an effect of T-cell response on the number of host species, or a model with host coloniality directly affecting host T-cell response, which in turn affected the number of host species used by fleas, best explained the data. Therefore, parasite specialization may have evolved in response to strong host defenses.
Keywords
Animals, Birds/immunology, Birds/parasitology, Evolution, Fleas/pathogenicity, Host-Parasite Interactions, Immunity, Cellular, T-Lymphocytes/immunology
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
24/01/2008 19:14
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:54
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