Publication Date:
2022-05-26
Description:
© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Kluever, B. M., Iles, D. T., & Gese, E. M. Ectoparasite burden influences the denning behavior of a small desert carnivore. Ecosphere, 10(5), (2019): e02749, doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2749.
Description:
Quantifying the impacts of parasitism on a host can be arduous and is generally understudied for ectoparasites, with known works being either laboratory‐focused, correlational‐based, or only focusing on a few species and spatial extents. Many mammalian species have evolved the modality of denning behavior, a lifestyle that can lead to higher ectoparasite burden, and it has been posited that animals may alter their denning behavior in an attempt to reduce exposure to ectoparasites. We conducted a test of the ectoparasite release hypothesis for kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) and fleas in the Great Basin Desert of the western United States, a hypothesis that has remained relatively untested for over half a century. We experimentally administered a flea reduction treatment to a subset of kit foxes. We then measured and compared the number of unique den usages and residency time across treatment and control foxes (no flea reduction treatment) while accounting for other factors known to influence denning behavior. Foxes treated with the flea medication reduced the number of unique dens and increased their residency times at dens. All kit foxes continued to use multiple dens on the landscape, suggesting several factors in addition to flea burden influence denning behavior. Our results confirm the long‐dormant ectoparasite release hypothesis and suggest ectoparasites may shape the behavior of burrowing vertebrates to a greater extent than previously recognized.
Description:
Funding and logistical support were provided by the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Environmental Programs, Dugway, Utah, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah. Additional funding was provided by the Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, T&E Inc., American Society of Mammalogists, the Utah Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and the Endangered Species Mitigation Fund of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah. We thank R. Knight for providing continual support for this research. We are indebted to S. Dempsey, B. Smith, A. Hodge, C. Crawford, L. Card, M. Cent, A. Reyer, C. Hansen, J. Fasig, W. Knowlton, W. Wright, C. Perkins, S. McEachin, J. DeCotis, and M. Richmond for invaluable field assistance. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. The findings and conclusions in this publication have not been formally disseminated by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.
Keywords:
denning
;
ectoparasite release hypothesis
;
flea
;
Great Basin Desert
;
kit fox
;
telemetry
;
Vulpes marcotis
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Article
Permalink