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Helminth parasites are associated with reduced survival probability in young red deer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2022

Claudia I. Acerini Open the ORCID record for Claudia I. Acerini [Opens in a new window] ,
Sean Morris ,
Alison Morris ,
Fiona Kenyon ,
David McBean ,
Josephine M. Pemberton  and
Gregory F. Albery
Claudia I. Acerini*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
Sean Morris
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
Alison Morris
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
Fiona Kenyon
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
David McBean
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
Josephine M. Pemberton
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
Gregory F. Albery
Affiliation:
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin 14193, Germany Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Claudia I. Acerini, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Helminths are common parasites of wild ungulates that can have substantial costs for growth, mortality and reproduction. Whilst these costs are relatively well documented for mature animals, knowledge of helminths' impacts on juveniles is more limited. Identifying these effects is important because young individuals are often heavily infected, and juvenile mortality is a key process regulating wild populations. Here, we investigated associations between helminth infection and overwinter survival in juvenile wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Isle of Rum, Scotland. We collected fecal samples non-invasively from known individuals and used them to count propagules of 3 helminth taxa (strongyle nematodes, Fasciola hepatica and Elaphostrongylus cervi). Using generalized linear models, we investigated associations between parasite counts and overwinter survival for calves and yearlings. Strongyles were associated with reduced survival in both age classes, and F. hepatica was associated with reduced survival in yearlings, whilst E. cervi infection showed no association with survival in either age class. This study provides observational evidence for fitness costs of helminth infection in juveniles of a wild mammal, and suggests that these parasites could play a role in regulating population dynamics.

Keywords

Disease ecologyfitness costshelminthssurvivalungulatewild mammal
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 149 , Issue 13 , November 2022 , pp. 1702 - 1708
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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