Titre
The importance of host spatial distribution for parasite specialization and speciation: a comparative study of bird fleas (Siphonaptera : Ceratophyllidae)
Type
article
Institution
UNIL/CHUV/Unisanté + institutions partenaires
Périodique
Auteur(s)
Tripet, F.
Auteure/Auteur
Christe, P.
Auteure/Auteur
Møller, A. P.
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
Liens vers les unités
ISSN
0021-8790
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2002
Volume
71
Numéro
5
Première page
735
Dernière page/numéro d’article
748
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Langue
anglais
Résumé
1. The environment of parasites is determined largely by their hosts. Variation in host quality, abundance and spatial distribution affects the balance between selection within hosts and gene flow between hosts, and this should determine the evolution of a parasite's host-range and its propensity to locally adapt and speciate.
2. We investigated the relationship between host spatial distribution and (1) parasite host range, (2) parasite mobility and (3) parasite geographical range, in a comparative study of a major group of avian ectoparasites, the birds fleas belonging to the Ceratophyllidae (Siphonaptera).
3. Flea species parasitizing colonial birds had narrower host ranges than those infesting territorial nesters or birds with an intermediate level of nest aggregation.
4. The potential mobility and geographical ranges of fleas decreased with increasing level of aggregation of their hosts and increased with the fleas' host ranges.
5. Birds with aggregated nest distribution harboured more flea species mainly due to a larger number of specialists than solitarily nesting hosts.
6. These results emphasize the importance of host spatial distribution for the evolution of specialization, and for local adaptation and speciation in Ceratophyllid bird fleas.
2. We investigated the relationship between host spatial distribution and (1) parasite host range, (2) parasite mobility and (3) parasite geographical range, in a comparative study of a major group of avian ectoparasites, the birds fleas belonging to the Ceratophyllidae (Siphonaptera).
3. Flea species parasitizing colonial birds had narrower host ranges than those infesting territorial nesters or birds with an intermediate level of nest aggregation.
4. The potential mobility and geographical ranges of fleas decreased with increasing level of aggregation of their hosts and increased with the fleas' host ranges.
5. Birds with aggregated nest distribution harboured more flea species mainly due to a larger number of specialists than solitarily nesting hosts.
6. These results emphasize the importance of host spatial distribution for the evolution of specialization, and for local adaptation and speciation in Ceratophyllid bird fleas.
PID Serval
serval:BIB_A72030D82855
Date de création
2008-01-24T18:14:07.043Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T21:09:02Z