Host biology and environmental variables differentially predict flea abundances for two rodent hosts in a plague-relevant system

• Published in: International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife 2019-08, Vol.9, p.174-183
• Main Authors: Hammond, Talisin T., Hendrickson, Courtney I., Maxwell, Tania L., Petrosky, Anna L., Palme, Rupert, Pigage, Jon C., Pigage, Helen K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Climate change; Host-parasite interactions; Regular article; Sex-biased parasitism; Siphonaptera; Vector-borne disease; Yersinia pestis
• ISSN: 2213-2244; 2213-2244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.04.011

While rodents frequently host ectoparasites that can vector zoonotic diseases, often little is known about their ectoparasite communities, even in places where hosts frequently interact with humans. Yosemite National Park is an area of high human-wildlife interaction and high potential zoonotic disease transfer. Nonetheless, relatively few studies have surveyed the flea communities on mammalian hosts in this area, and even fewer have characterized the environmental and host factors that predict infestation. We focused on two species, the alpine chipmunk (Tamias alpinus) and the lodgepole chipmunk (T. speciosus), which inhabit Yosemite and surrounding areas and can host fleas that vector plague. Because these hosts are exhibiting differential responses to environmental change, it is valuable to establish baselines for their flea communities before further changes occur. We surveyed fleas on these chipmunk hosts during three years (2013–2015), including in the year of a plague epizootic (2015), and documented significant inter-host differences in flea communities and changes across years. Flea abundance was associated with host traits including sex and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels. The average number of fleas per individual and the proportion of individuals carrying fleas increased across years for T. speciosus but not for T. alpinus. To better understand these patterns, we constructed models to identify environmental predictors of flea abundance for the two most common flea species, Ceratophyllus ciliatus mononis and Eumolpianus eumolpi. Results showed host-dependent differences in environmental predictors of flea abundance for E. eumolpi and C. ciliatus mononis, with notable ties to ambient temperature variation and elevation. These results provide insight into factors affecting flea abundance on two chipmunk species, which may be linked to changing climate and possible future plague epizootics. [Display omitted] •Tamias alpinus and T. speciosus host different numbers and communities of fleas.•In both chipmunk species, male hosts carry more fleas.•Glucocorticoids were negatively correlated with flea abundances in female hosts.•Flea abundances on T. speciosus increased preceding a plague epizootic.•Environmental and host traits predict flea abundances in species dependent manners.