Parasitism and mate competition: liver flukes in white-tailed deer

As predicted by the parasite burden-mate competition hypothesis (Howard and Minchella), significant relationships were observed between the prevalence and/or intensity of infection by the liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, and traits contributing to male reproductive success in white-tailed deer. Body...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oikos 1993-03, Vol.66 (2), p.187-192
Main Authors: Mulvey, M, Aho, J.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age structure
ANDOUILLER
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
ANTLERS
ASTAS
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Body weight
CAROLINA DEL SUR
CAROLINE DU SUD
Deer
Ecological competition
FASCIOLOIDES MAGNA
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Infections
Liver
Mammalia
Mating behavior
ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS
Parasites
Parasitism
PESO
POIDS
REPRODUCCION
REPRODUCTION
SOUTH CAROLINA
Vertebrata
WEIGHT
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Summary:As predicted by the parasite burden-mate competition hypothesis (Howard and Minchella), significant relationships were observed between the prevalence and/or intensity of infection by the liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, and traits contributing to male reproductive success in white-tailed deer. Body size and total number of antler points were significantly reduced in heavily infected individuals, particularly for the younger age classes. Infected males lost significantly more weight than uninfected ones during the rut. Losses were more pronounced for males in older age classes, as might be expected if they expend the most energy during the breeding season.
ISSN:0030-1299
1600-0706
DOI:10.2307/3544804