1
|
Megía-Palma R, Cuervo JJ, Fitze PS, Martínez J, Jiménez-Robles O, De la Riva I, Reguera S, Moreno-Rueda G, Blaimont P, Kopena R, Barrientos R, Martín J, Merino S. Do sexual differences in life strategies make male lizards more susceptible to parasite infection? J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 39044387 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Female and male hosts may maximise their fitness by evolving different strategies to compensate for the costs of parasite infections. The resulting sexual dimorphism might be apparent in differential relationships between parasite load and body condition, potentially reflecting differences in energy allocation to anti-parasitic defences. For example, male lacertids with high body condition may produce many offspring while being intensely parasitised. In contrast, female lacertids may show a different outcome of the trade-offs between body condition and immunity, aiming to better protect themselves from the harm of parasites. We predicted that females would have fewer parasites than males and a lower body condition across parasitaemia levels because they would invest resources in parasite defence to mitigate the costs of infection. In contrast, the male strategy to maximise access to females would imply some level of parasite tolerance and, thus, higher parasitaemia. We analysed the relationship between the body condition of lizards and the parasitemias of Karyolysus and Schellackia, two genera of blood parasites with different phylogenetic origins, in 565 females and 899 males belonging to 10 species of the Lacertidae (Squamata). These lizards were sampled over a period of 12 years across 34 sampling sites in southwestern Europe. The results concerning the Karyolysus infections were consistent with the predictions, with males having similar body condition across parasitaemia levels even though they had higher infection intensities than females. On the other hand, females with higher levels of Karyolysus parasitaemia had lower body condition. This is consistent with the prediction that different life strategies of male and female lacertids can explain the infection patterns of Karyolysus. In contrast, the parasitaemia of Schellackia was consistently low in both male and female hosts, with no significant effect on the body condition of lizards. This suggests that lizards of both sexes maintain this parasite below a pathogenic threshold.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Madrid, Spain
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação Em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - José J Cuervo
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patrick S Fitze
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Martínez
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Madrid, Spain
| | - Octavio Jiménez-Robles
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | | | - Senda Reguera
- Department of Biology and Geology, IES don Pelayo, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain
| | - Pauline Blaimont
- Department of Biology, University of Houston Downtown, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Renata Kopena
- ELKH Centre for Ecological Research, Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Rafael Barrientos
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, School of Biology, Department of Biodiversity Ecology and Evolution, Road Ecology Lab, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Martín
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Santiago Merino
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Megía-Palma R, Paranjpe D, Cooper RD, Blaimont P, Sinervo B. Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard. Curr Zool 2024; 70:59-69. [PMID: 38476133 PMCID: PMC10926264 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Male competition conforms to a cost-benefit model, because while aggression may increase reproductive prospects, it can also increase the risk of injury. We hypothesize that an additional cost in aggressive males would be an increase in parasite load associated with a high energy investment into sexual competition. Some of these infections, in turn, may downmodulate the level of host aggression via energetic trade-offs. We staged dyadic male contests in the lab to investigate the relationships of multiple parasites with the agonistic behavior of lizard hosts, Sceloporus occidentalis. We also included both color and behavioral traits from opponents in the analyses because (1) color patches of lizards may serve as intraspecific signals used by conspecifics to assess the quality of opponents, and (2) contests between male lizards fit classical models of escalated aggression, where lizards increase aggression displays in response to an opponent's behavior. The results conform to our hypothesis because male lizards displayed more pushups when they had more ticks. Moreover, some parasites may modulate the levels of aggression because lizards infected by hematic coccidians performed fewer pushups. Interestingly, lizards also displayed fewer pushups when both the chroma and size of the opponent's blue patch were greater. The results thus also supported the role of the blue patch of S. occidentalis as a sexual armament, because it contributed to the deterrence of aggression from opponent lizards. We revealed that natural parasitic infections in lizard hosts can contribute to their agonistic behavior. We encourage future studies to account for parasites in behavioral tests with lizards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Parasitology Unit, Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), E-28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, P-4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, P-4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Dhanashree Paranjpe
- Rupa Rahul Bajaj Center for Environment and Art, Empress Botanical Gardens, Kavade Mala, Pune, India
| | - Robert D Cooper
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pauline Blaimont
- Department of Biology, University of Houston Downtown, 1 Main St., Houston, TX 77002, USA
| | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Megía-Palma R, Redondo L, Blázquez-Castro S, Barrientos R. Differential recovery ability from infections by two blood parasite genera in males of a Mediterranean lacertid lizard after an experimental translocation. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:816-824. [PMID: 37434416 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Different blood parasites can co-infect natural populations of lizards. However, our knowledge of the host's ability to recover from them (i.e., significantly reduce parasitemia levels) is scarce. This has interest from an ecological immunology perspective. Herein, we investigate the host recovery ability in males of the lizard Psammodromus algirus infected by parasite genera Schellackia and Karyolysus. The role of lizard hosts is dissimilar in the life cycle of these two parasites, and thus different immune control of the infections is expected by the vertebrate host. As Schellackia performs both sexual and asexual reproduction cycles in lizards, we expect a better immune control by its vertebrate hosts. On the contrary, Karyolysus performs sexual reproductive cycles in vectors, hence we expect lower immune control by the lizards. We carried out a reciprocal translocation experiment during the lizards' mating season to evaluate both parasitemia and leukocyte profiles in male lizards, being one of the sampling plots close to a road with moderate traffic. These circumstances provide a combination of extrinsic (environmental stress) and intrinsic factors (reproductive vs. immune trade-offs) that may influence host's recovery ability. We recaptured 33% of the lizards, with a similar proportion in control and translocated groups. Karyolysus infected 92.3% and Schellackia 38.5% of these lizards. Hosts demonstrated ability to significantly reduce parasitemia of Schellackia but not of Karyolysus. This suggests, in line with our predictions, a differential immune relationship of lizards with these parasites, at time that supports that parasites with different phylogenetic origins should be analyzed separately in investigations of their effects on hosts. Furthermore, lizards close to the road underwent a stronger upregulation of lymphocytes and monocytes when translocated far from the road, suggesting a putative greater exposure to pathogens in the latter area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Megía-Palma
- Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Parasitology, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - L Redondo
- Road Ecology Lab, Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Biodiversity Node S.L., Madrid, Spain
| | - S Blázquez-Castro
- Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Parasitology, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - R Barrientos
- Road Ecology Lab, Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Veith Y, Wende AL, Matuschewski K, Schaer J, Müller K, Bannert B. Molecular characterization of Schellackia parasites in an urban population of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) from Berlin, Germany. Parasitol Res 2023:10.1007/s00436-023-07856-w. [PMID: 37222818 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07856-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Lizards are hosts of several taxa of unicellular parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa, including Karyolysus, Schellackia, Lankesterella, and Hepatozoon. Parasite prevalence and the impact of infections on lizard biology remain largely unexplored. In this study, blood parasite infections were investigated in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) from Berlin, Germany. Eighty-three individuals were investigated, and the detected blood parasites were identified as Schellackia sp. The combination of microscopic and molecular screening revealed a prevalence of 14.5%. Parasitemia values were low and most infections were subpatent. Phylogenetic analysis recovered a close relationship of the Schellackia parasites of this study with Schellackia sp. parasites of different Lacerta and Podarcis lizard species from Spain. Monitoring of Schellackia parasite infections in free-ranging lizards contributes to a better understanding of the distribution, diversity, and phylogenetic relationships of the neglected parasite taxon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ylva Veith
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Luiza Wende
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juliane Schaer
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Müller
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Brigitte Bannert
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lizard Dewlap Color and Malaria Infection: Testing the Hamilton-Zuk Hypothesis. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis indicates that parasites may have a negative effect on the appearance of sexual traits within an infected individual. Anolis sagrei, or brown anoles, are small invasive lizards common throughout Florida and many other areas where they have been introduced. The colorful dewlaps under the chins of males are used as a signal during territorial contests with other males and as an ornament to attract females. Anoles may be infected by the malaria parasite Plasmodium floridense. In this study, we investigated the relationship of malarial infection with dewlap color and spectral brightness of A. sagrei. We achieved this by capturing male brown anoles, taking blood samples to examine for malarial infection, and recording the color of their dewlaps. We found that the dewlaps of infected Anolis sagrei had duller coloration than the dewlaps of uninfected lizards. These results provide support for the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis. Our results suggest that infection by P. floridense could potentially influence fitness of the lizards by reducing the expression of their color signals. Additional research on fitness effects of the malaria parasite on anoles is important for fully understanding this phenomenon.
Collapse
|
6
|
Megía-Palma R, Merino S, Barrientos R. Longitudinal effects of habitat quality, body condition, and parasites on colour patches of a multiornamented lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03182-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Ontogeny is expected to be a determinant factor affecting production of colour patches in lizards, while immune challenges or sudden weight loss may impair the maintenance of pigment-based coloration within a breeding season. We translocated males of the lizard Psammodromus algirus between two sampling plots that differed in distance to a road, vegetation structure, and predator abundance. We analysed variation in spectral reflectance of their colour patches the same and the following year. The change in the reflectance of the lizard colour patches within the first breeding season was explained by the interaction between plot and treatment, but not body condition. The maintenance of the breeding coloration was impaired only in those males translocated close to the road, probably reflecting that it is a poor-quality habitat for P. algirus. The following year, lizards that produced a more elaborate coloration were those that increased their body condition and controlled some parasitic infections, although suffered an increase of others. This study shows that colour patch production is plastic in P. algirus. Lizards increasing parasites or losing weight reduced pigmentation, although habitat quality can cushion these negative effects on pigmentation. However, not all parasites constrain the investment in coloration. In fact, some increased in those lizards that allocated more pigments to colour patches. In conclusion, longitudinal studies following experimental manipulation can contribute to understand pigment allocation rules in lizards.
Significance statement
Pigments involved in colour patches of animals are limiting resources that can be reallocated off the skin to other functions. However, longitudinal evidence of this phenomenon is scarce in reptiles. We designed a manipulative mark-recapture experiment to investigate effects of habitat and parasitic infections on colour patch maintenance (within-year variation) and production (between-year variation) in male free-ranging lizards that were reciprocally translocated between two patches of habitat that differed in quality. During the first year, lizards translocated to the habitat with more predators and worse vegetation impoverished their coloration, while lizards translocated to the more favourable habitat maintained it despite all translocated lizards loose body condition. The next year we detected different effects on the coloration of three different parasites investigated, suggesting that coloration can reflect the virulence of the infections.
Collapse
|