Ref ID : 3545
Shawn Meagher and Timothy P. O'Conner; Population variation in the metabolic response of deer mice to infection with Capillaria hepatica (Nematoda). Can.J.Zool. 79:554-561, 2001
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The effects of parasites on their hosts can vary among host population, but few studies have examined geographic variation in host-parasite interactions. We examined the effects of Capillaria hepatica (Nematoda) infection on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis) from two different populations. Specifically, we measured the basal metabolic rate (BMR), cold-stress maximum oxygen consumption (MRpeak), metabolic scope (MRpeak/BMR), and thermogenic endurance of infected and uninfected mice from on population with, and a second population without, a history with C. hepatica. Infection had no effect on BMR, but did have effects on cold-stress measures. A previous study documented a significant relationship between survival and MRpeak in wild deer mice; hence, the effect of infection on the parameters that we measured could influence fitness. Only mice that had no historical association with C. hepatica displayed negative consequences of infection, which suggests that the historical host population has evolved mechanisms to cope with infection. Models of the evolution of the virulence should include evolutionary responses of both host and parasites, particularly when system involve macroparasites that have long generation times.