Sounds of danger and post-traumatic stress responses in wild rodents: ecological validity of a translational model of post-traumatic stress disorder

In the wild, animals face a highly variable world full of predators. Most predator attacks are unsuccessful, and the prey survives. According to the conventional perspective, the fear responses elicited by predators are acute and transient in nature. However, the long-term, non-lethal effects of predator exposure on prey behavioral stress sequelae, such as anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms, remain poorly understood. Most experiments on animal models of anxiety-related behavior or post-traumatic stress disorder have been carried out using commercial strains of rats and mice. A fundamental question is whether laboratory rodents appropriately express the behavioral responses of wild species in their natural environment; in other words, whether behavioral responses to stress observed in the laboratory can be generalized to natural behavior. To further elucidate the relative contributions of the natural selection pressures influences, this study investigated the bio-behavioral and morphological effects of auditory predator cues (owl territorial calls) in males and females of three wild rodent species in a laboratory set-up: Acomys cahirinus; Gerbillus henleyi; and Gerbillus gerbillus. Our results indicate that owl territorial calls elicited not only "fight or flight" behavioral responses but caused PTSD-like behavioral responses in wild rodents that have never encountered owls in nature and could cause, in some individuals, enduring physiological and morphological responses that parallel those seen in laboratory rodents or traumatized people. In all rodent species, the PTSD phenotype was characterized by a blunting of fecal cortisol metabolite response early after exposure and by a lower hypothalamic orexin-A level and lower total dendritic length and number in the dentate gyrus granule cells eight days after predator exposure. Phenotypically, this refers to a significant functional impairment that could affect reproduction and survival and thus fitness and population dynamics.

Large scale systemic control short-circuits pathogen transmission by interrupting the sand rat (Psammomys obesus)-to-sand fly (Phlebotomus papatasi) Leishmania major transmission cycle

Systemic control uses the vertebrate hosts of zoonotic pathogens as "Trojan horses," killing blood-feeding female vectors and short-circuiting host-to-vector pathogen transmission. Previous studies focused only on the effect of systemic control on vector abundance at small spatial scales. None were conducted at a spatial scale relevant for vector control and none on the effect of systemic control on pathogen transmission rates. We tested the application of systemic control, using Fipronil-impregnated rodent baits, in reducing Leishmania major (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae; Yakimoff & Schokhor, 1914) infection levels within the vector, Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae; Scopoli, 1786) population, at the town-scale. We provided Fipronil-impregnated food-baits to all Psammomys obesus (Mammalia:Muridae; Cretzschmar, 1828), the main L. major reservoir, burrows along the southern perimeter of the town of Yeruham, Israel, and compared sand fly abundance and infection levels with a non-treated control area. We found a significant and substantial treatment effect on L. major infection levels in the female sand fly population. Sand fly abundance was not affected. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the potential of systemic control in reducing pathogen transmission rates at a large, epidemiologically relevant, spatial scale.

High risk of predation suppresses behavioural differences among bold and shy social prey individuals

Prey animals must attempt to optimize foraging success while reducing the probability of being captured. Within social prey groups, intrinsic differences in bold-shy personality among individuals influence their respective risk-taking tendencies. We examined the foraging and refuge use behaviour of mixed groups of goldfish (Carassius auratus) containing half bold individuals and half shy individuals under variable levels of predation risk from a live avian predator (Egretta garzetta). At the group level, the fish groups significantly decreased their foraging time by spending more time under the refuge when the predator spent more time at the focal pool. As expected, the bold fish tended to be the first to leave the refuge, and foraged outside the refuge more often than shy fish under control conditions and at lower risk levels. However, the behavioural differences between bold and shy fish disappeared under higher risk conditions. In terms of mortality, the predator captured significantly more bold fish than shy fish. Our study illustrates how bold individuals in social groups often take greater risks to achieve foraging success, but demonstrates that innate differences in boldness can be diminished in times of elevated predation risk.

Systemic Control of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Sand-Fly Vectors: Fipronil-Treated Rodent Bait Is Effective in Reducing Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) Female Emergence Rate From Rodent Burrows

The strong dependency of some vectors on their host as a source of habitat can be viewed as a weak link in pathogen's transmission cycles using the vertebrate host as a 'Trojan horse' to deliver insecticides directly to the vector-host point of contact (hereafter 'systemic control'). This could, simultaneously, affect the survival of blood-feeding females and coprophagic larvae. Sand-flies, vectors of leishmaniasis worldwide, are often dependent on their bloodmeal host as a source of habitat and may therefore be good candidates for systemic control. In the present study, we field-tested this methodology by baiting Meriones crassus (Sundevall, 1842) (Rodentia:Muridea) with Fipronil-treated food pellets and evaluated its effect on reducing sand-fly emergence rate, in general, and of that of blood-fed females, in particular. We demonstrated 86% reduction in the abundance of female sand-flies that exit burrows of Fipronil-treated jirds, whereas male abundance was unaffected. Furthermore, whereas in control burrows 20% of the females were blood-fed, in treatment burrows no blood-fed females were detected. Sand-fly abundance outside the burrows was not affected by burrow treatment. This highlights the focal specificity of this method: affecting female sand-flies that feed on the reservoir host. This should result in the reduction of the pathogen transmission rate in the vicinity of the treated area by reducing the prevalence of leishmania-infected sand-fly females. These results hold promise for the potential of the systemic control approach in this system. Our next-step goal is to test this methodology at a large-scale cutaneous leishmaniasis control program.

The Potential of Systemic Control of Sand Flies Using Fipronil in the Novel Leishmania major (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) Reservoirs Meriones tristrami (Rodentia: Muridea) and Meriones crassus (Rodentia: Muridea)

Leishmania major (Yakimoff & Schokhor, 1914), an important causative agent of Old World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), is transmitted by sand flies among a limited number of gerbilline reservoir-species. We can take advantage of this strong dependency to break the pathogen transmission cycle by using systemic insecticides that render the host toxic to the blood-feeding vector. We evaluated the potential of this approach with two novel reservoir species, incriminated for CL expansion in several sites in the Middle East. Specifically, we evaluated: 1) the residuality of the systemic insecticide fipronil in Meriones tristrami (Thomas, 1892) fed on fipronil-treated baits and 2) the treatments' adulticide effect on sand flies that blood fed on treated and untreated M. tristrami and M. crassus (Sundevall, 1842). We fed M. tristrami with food pellets containing 0.1 g/kg fipronil and used gas chromatograph-mass spectrometery analysis and bioassays to examine its residual toxicity to blood-feeding female sand flies. In M. tristrami, fipronil was rapidly metabolized to fipronil sulfone, found in the blood, urine, and feces for ≥31 d after fipronil admission. The survival of sand flies that blood fed on fipronil-treated M. tristrami and M. crassus was significantly reduced for at least 15 and 9 d respectively, after fipronil admission. These results hold promise for the potential contribution of systemic control approaches to CL integrated management strategies against novel CL (due to L. major) outbreaks in Israel and elsewhere.

Social behaviour and foraging success of little egrets (Egretta garzetta)

Intraspecific interactions among predators can change the game between a predator and its prey. Individuals of different size or sex can differ in their responses to conspecific competitors. We studied intraspecific interactions among pairs of little egrets (Egretta garzetta) while foraging on responsive prey (comet goldfish, Carassius auratus). Testing little egrets in an artificial patchy environment both singly and while engaged in social forging in pairs (male & female) at two prey densities, allowed us to explore individual differences in foraging success. We found sexual dimorphism with males being bigger and more aggressive than females. However, female foraging success was positively affected by the time they spent foraging with a conspecific male, suggesting they might be able to mitigate male aggressiveness with an indirect positive interaction. Despite the presence of direct interactions between individuals in the pair, egret foraging success was not affected by such interactions, nor by prey density. Our results demonstrate the importance of sex and an individual's ability to adjust its social behaviour based on the behaviour of others in this predator-prey foraging game.

Foraging innovation in an artificial environment: a case of little egret luring prey goldfish through beak dipping

Behavioural innovations play an important role in animal ecology and evolution. We report a case of little egret using its beak dips as a tool to lure and catch prey goldfish in an artificial environment designed to test predator–prey behavioural foraging games. The egret mimicked the food pellets falling into the pool from a mechanical feeder that fed the goldfish at regular intervals. The falling pellets created ripples in the water that acted as a cue for the prey goldfish to come out of the cover and feed on the floating pellets. The egret learned this phenomenon through time and used its beak dips to create ripples and attract the prey outside. The egret preferably used the location of the feeder in the pool to carry out its beak dipping attempts and maximize its fish capture success. The egret attempted this behaviour more in the largest cover that provided the best refuge to the prey goldfish. The egret beak dipping attempts to lure the prey goldfish out of the cover declined through experimental time as well as with increasing prey kills. As the beak dipping behaviour did not result in a high capture rate of fish, the egret subsequently reduced its attempts through time. This case study illustrates that foraging innovations can occur through learning in laboratory conditions containing a novel but artificial environment.

Individual willingness to leave a safe refuge and the trade-off between food and safety: a test with social fish

Refuges offer prey animals protection from predation, but increased time spent hiding can reduce foraging opportunities. Within social groups, individuals vary in their refuge use and willingness to forage in the presence of a predator. Here, we examine the relative foraging benefits and mortality costs associated with individual refuge use and foraging behaviour within groups of goldfish (Carassius auratus) under predation risk from an avian predator (little egret-Egretta garzetta). We assessed individual order of emergence from the refuge and participation over 15 group foraging outings, and assigned each fish a daily outing index score. The individual fish that emerged from the refuge earlier than the other group members and that participated in more outings received high outing index scores and consumed more food compared with fish that tended to emerge in posterior positions and participate in fewer outings. However, individual fish that attained high outing index scores suffered a higher risk of predation. Furthermore, the amount of time the egret spent at the pool affected group foraging behaviour: as predation risk increased, groups of fish consumed significantly less food. Our results exemplify the trade-off between foraging success and safety from predation that prey species regularly experience.

Binary patch assessment by goldfish under safe and dangerous conditions

Food resources can occur heterogeneously in space or time and differ in their abundances. A forager should be able to determine the value of a patch and choose optimally how to exploit it. However, patch choice and exploitation may be influenced by predation risk. Using the Giving up Densities (GUDs) technique, we evaluated goldfish patch assessment and choice in a binary patch choice experiment. We offered a pair of unequal food patches containing high and low food quantity. We quantified goldfish foraging behavior in the presence and absence of a predator. Goldfish groups equalized the GUDs in the two patches in safe environments but left higher GUDs in the rich patch under predation risk. The results suggest that goldfish can use both "patch assessment rule" and "fixed time rule" to exploit resource patches and trade off food and danger.

Comparing the non-lethal and lethal effects of predation risk ‬on goldfish anti-predatory behavior

Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) and common goldfish (Carassius auratus) interacted in experimental theaters that challenge them with a behavioral game. We studied the behavioral tactics of both players. The experimental theaters consist of three equally spaced pools, each with a shelter in its center. The fish can take shelter in a safe but foodless habitat, or swim exposed in the open that contains food. The egrets can move among the pools to catch the exposed fish. We investigated the importance of non-lethal effects versus lethal effects on predator–prey interactions. We created a variance in predation pressure by keeping the number of egrets fixed but varying the number of pools of the experimental theater between 1 and 3 pools. In all treatments, even when the egret was present, individual goldfish emerged from protected cover occasionally, exposing at least their heads and sometimes their entire bodies in apparent disregard for the possibly lethal consequences. We assumed that this behavior stems from the fish's constant need to collect information about its surroundings. The fish responded appropriately to the variations in predation pressure by changing their activity level outside the cover, i.e., the fish drastically and significantly reduced their exposure outside the cover, as well as the rate of peeping, as predation pressure increased. The results demonstrate the importance role of non-lethal effects, and how they drive the behavior of prey in response to predation risk, which in turn, drives the action of the predator in an asymmetric two-player game of stealth and fear.

Jack of all trades, master of all: a positive association between habitat niche breadth and foraging performance in pit-building antlion larvae

Species utilizing a wide range of resources are intuitively expected to be less efficient in exploiting each resource type compared to species which have developed an optimal phenotype for utilizing only one or a few resources. We report here the results of an empirical study whose aim was to test for a negative association between habitat niche breadth and foraging performance. As a model system to address this question, we used two highly abundant species of pit-building antlions varying in their habitat niche breadth: the habitat generalist Myrmeleon hyalinus, which inhabits a variety of soil types but occurs mainly in sandy soils, and the habitat specialist Cueta lineosa, which is restricted to light soils such as loess. Both species were able to discriminate between the two soils, with each showing a distinct and higher preference to the soil type providing higher prey capture success and characterizing its primary habitat-of-origin. As expected, only small differences in the foraging performances of the habitat generalist were evident between the two soils, while the performance of the habitat specialist was markedly reduced in the alternative sandy soil. Remarkably, in both soil types, the habitat generalist constructed pits and responded to prey faster than the habitat specialist, at least under the temperature range of this study. Furthermore, prey capture success of the habitat generalist was higher than that of the habitat specialist irrespective of the soil type or prey ant species encountered, implying a positive association between habitat niche-breadth and foraging performance. Alternatively, C. lineosa specialization to light soils does not necessarily confer upon its superiority in utilizing such habitats. We thus suggest that habitat specialization in C. lineosa is either an evolutionary dead-end, or, more likely, that this species' superiority in light soils can only be evident when considering additional niche axes.

Driven to distraction: detecting the hidden costs of flea parasitism through foraging behaviour in gerbils

Gerbilline rodents such as Allenby's gerbils (Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi), when parasitized by fleas such as Synosternus cleopatrae pyramidis, devote long hours of grooming to remove the ectoparasites. Yet no detrimental energetic or immunological effects of the ectoparasites have been found in adult Allenby's gerbil. Why should gerbils go to such trouble? We tested for the various ways that fleas can negatively affect gerbils by manipulating flea infestation on gerbils and the presence of a fox. We demonstrate that gerbils responded to fleas by leaving resource patches at higher giving-up densities. Furthermore, they stayed in those resource patches less time and left them at higher quitting harvest rates so long as a fox was also present. When flea-ridden, gerbils also abandoned using vigilance to manage risk and relied mainly on time allocation. Thus, having fleas imposed a foraging cost similar in nature to that arising from the risk of predation from foxes and may be even larger in magnitude. More than that, the presence of fleas acted as a magnifier of foraging costs, especially those arising from the risk of predation. The fleas reduced the gerbils' foraging aptitude and altered how they went about managing risk of predation. We hypothesize that fleas reduce the attention that gerbils otherwise have for foraging and predator detection. We suggest that this is the major cost of ectoparasitism.

Conservation genetics of a rare Gerbil species: a comparison of the population genetic structures and demographic histories of the locally rare Pygmy Gerbil and the common Anderson's Gerbil

Background

One of the major challenges in evolutionary biology is identifying rare species and devising management plans to protect them while also sustaining their genetic diversity. However, in attempting a broad understanding of rarity, single-species studies provide limited insights because they do not reveal whether the factors that affect rare species differ from those that affect more common species. To illustrate this important concept and to arrive at a better understanding of the form of rarity characterizing the rare Gerbillus henleyi, we explored its population genetic structure alongside that of the locally common Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi. We trapped gerbils in several locations in Israel's western and inner Negev sand dunes. We then extracted DNA from ear samples, and amplified two mitochondrial sequences: the control region (CR) and the cytochrome oxidase 2 gene (CO2).

Results

Nucleotide diversity was low for all sequences, especially for the CR of G. a. allenbyi, which showed no diversity. We could not detect any significant population genetic structure in G. henleyi. In contrast, G. a. allenbyi's CO2 sequence showed significant population genetic structure. Pairwise PhiPT comparisons showed low values for G. henleyi but high values for G. a. allenbyi. Analysis of the species' demographic history indicated that G. henleyi's population size has not changed recently, and is under the influence of an ongoing bottleneck. The same analysis for G. a. allenbyi showed that this species has undergone a recent population expansion.

Conclusions

Comparing the two species, the populations of G. a. allenbyi are more isolated from each other, likely due to the high habitat specificity characterizing this species. The bottleneck pattern found in G. henleyi may be the result of competition with larger gerbil species. This result, together with the broad habitat use and high turnover rate characterizing G. henleyi, may explain the low level of differentiation among its populations. The evidence for a recent population expansion of G. a. allenbyi fits well with known geomorphological data about the formation of the Negev sand dunes and paleontological data about this species' expansion throughout the Levant. In conclusion, we suggest that adopting a comparative approach as presented here can markedly improve our understanding of the causes and effects of rarity, which in turn can allow us to better protect biodiversity patterns.

Ecological trap for desert lizards caused by anthropogenic changes in habitat structure that favor predator activity

Anthropogenic habitat perturbation is a major cause of population decline. A standard practice managers use to protect populations is to leave portions of natural habitat intact. We describe a case study in which, despite the use of this practice, the critically endangered lizard Acanthodactylus beershebensis was locally extirpated from both manipulated and natural patches within a mosaic landscape of an afforestation project. We hypothesized that increased structural complexity in planted patches favors avian predator activity and makes these patches less suitable for lizards due to a heightened risk of predation. Spatial rarity of natural perches (e.g., trees) in arid scrublands may hinder the ability of desert lizards to associate perches with low-quality habitat, turning planted patches into ecological traps for such species. We erected artificial trees in a structurally simple arid habitat (similar to the way trees were planted in the afforestation project) and compared lizard population dynamics in plots with these structures and without. Survival of lizards in the plots with artificial trees was lower than survival in plots without artificial trees. Hatchlings dispersed into plots with artificial trees in a manner that indicated they perceived the quality of these plots as similar to the surrounding, unmanipulated landscape. Our results showed that local anthropogenic changes in habitat structure that seem relatively harmless may have a considerable negative effect beyond the immediate area of the perturbation because the disturbed habitat may become an ecological trap.

Differences in Patch Use Behavior Between an Urban and Rural Species: Effects of Distance from Shelter and Wing Molt-Gaps

It has been suggested that urban bird populations and communities are controlled by bottom-up mechanisms because predation costs are lower in urban than in non-urban habitats. We hypothesized that urban birds are less sensitive to variations in the cost of predation than non-urban birds. We predicted that the house sparrow, a widespread urban species, is less sensitive to variations in predation risk, while foraging, than its rural (less urban) congener, the Spanish sparrow. We quantified foraging behavior of these species, as affected by the proximity to shelter, in large outdoor aviaries. We then clipped feathers from the birds' wings to manipulate escape ability and increase predation risk. We predicted that birds experience increasing predation risk with increasing distance from shelter, and that reduced wing surface increases the birds' sensitivity to risk of predation with respect to distance from shelter. Both species displayed increasing giving-up densities in seed trays with increasing distance from shelter, indicating that foraging costs increase with distance from shelter. As predicted, the two species differed in their response to proximity of shelter: we concluded that house sparrows experienced a less pronounced increase in perceived predation cost with increasing distance from shelter than did Spanish sparrows. Contrary to our prediction, wing surface reduction had no effect on seed tray utilization. Therefore, it appears that, when feeding in patches at distances from shelter, as used in the present study, the cost of predation affects foraging and micro-habitat use in Spanish sparrows more than in house sparrows.

The structure of winter bird communities in the northern Negev shrub-steppes: Relating species composition to habitat structure

We describe the structural patterns of granivorous bird communities in a semiarid shrub-steppe during winter and examine whether and how habitat structure and productivity play roles in determining the structure of these bird communities. We used line transects and measurements of microhabitat use to describe the species diversity, species composition, and microhabitat use of the birds in semiarid shrub-steppe habitats across the northern Negev Desert, Israel. We then related those patterns to the structural characteristics of the habitats along the bird transects at two spatial scales. The bird communities in our study were not random samples of the species pool. Bird abundance and species diversity were correlated with the amount and distribution of perennial and annual vegetation; surrogates of seed abundance and habitat structure, respectively. Species assemblies across the landscape were organized in a nested-subsets structure possibly related to habitat structure. Indeed, species composition was related to the structural characteristics of the habitat. Species-specific microhabitat use was also related to habitat structure, where different species appeared to differ in their foraging location with respect to the distance from dense vegetation patches. We suggest that species first segregate at the landscape scale based on differences in habitat use. Co-occurring species are then further segregated at the microhabitat scale, probably through the partition of the space around vegetation patches. The principal effect of food appears to be limited to control of bird abundance.

Effects of food abundance, age, and flea infestation on the body condition and immunological variables of a rodent host, and their consequences for flea survival

Temporal variation in body condition and immunological variables of animals that harbor parasites may explain patterns of variation in infestation, as well as parasite impact on the host. We emulated such variability in Sundevall's jirds by manipulating food availability and flea infestation in juveniles and adults and examining how these changes affect survival of fleas on their hosts. Body condition of food-restricted jirds deteriorated, but there was no change in their immunological variables. Adult jirds were in better body condition and had higher immunocompetence than juveniles, however there were no significant effects of flea infestation on any of the variables examined. The main effects of flea infestation were a decrease in the response to phytohaemagglutinin injection, and an increase in the negative effects of food restriction on body mass. Flea survival was higher on juveniles, but fleas did not respond to temporal variability in body condition and immunocompetence of the jirds. We concluded that changes in body condition and immune responses due to growth or variability in food abundance are more important than changes caused by the fleas themselves. Flea infestation is more detrimental to jirds when they are not able to compensate for mass loss through increased food consumption.

Ultimate mechanisms of age-biased flea parasitism

Mechanisms that cause nonrandom patterns of parasite distribution among host individuals may influence the population and evolutionary dynamics of both parasites and hosts, but are still poorly understood. We studied whether survival, reproduction, and behavioral responses of fleas (Xenopsylla conformis) changed with the age of their rodent hosts (Meriones crassus), experimentally disentangling two possible mechanisms: (a) differential survival and/or fitness reward of parasites due to host age, and (b) active parasite choice of a host of a particular age. To explore the first mechanism, we raised fleas on rodents of two age groups and assessed flea survival as well as the quantity and quality of their offspring. To explore the second mechanism, three groups of fleas that differed in their previous feeding experience (no experience, experience on juvenile or experience on adult rodents) were given an opportunity to choose between juvenile and adult rodents in a Y-maze. Fleas raised on juvenile rodents had higher survival and had more offspring that emerged earlier than fleas raised on adults. However, fleas did not show any innate preference for juvenile rodents, nor were they able to learn to choose them. In contrast to our predictions, based on a single previous exposure, fleas learned to choose adult rodents. The results suggest that two mechanisms-differential survival and fitness reward of fleas, and associative learning by them-affect patterns of flea distribution between juvenile and adult rodents. The former increases whereas the latter reduces flea densities on juvenile rodents. The ability of fleas to learn to choose adult but not juvenile hosts may be due to: (a) a stronger stimulus from adults, (b) a higher profitability of adults in terms of predictability and abundance, or (c) the evolutionary importance of recognizing adult but not juvenile hosts as representatives of the species.

Host defence versus intraspecific competition in the regulation of infrapopulations of the flea Xenopsylla conformis on its rodent host Meriones crassus

Mechanisms that regulate parasite populations may influence the evolution of hosts and parasites, as well as the stability of host-parasite dynamics but are still poorly understood. A manipulation experiment on the grooming ability of rodent hosts (Meriones crassus) and flea (Xenopsylla conformis) densities on these hosts successfully disentangled two possible regulating mechanisms: (i) behavioural defence of the host and (ii) intraspecific competition among parasites, and revealed their importance in suppressing the feeding of fleas. Moreover, the results suggest that flea competition is direct and is not mediated by host grooming, immune response, or parasite-induced damage to the host. These mechanisms, together with interspecific competition and density-dependent parasite-induced host damage, may limit the parasite burden on an individual host and may prevent parasites from overexploiting their host population.

Age, intensity of infestation by flea parasites and body mass loss in a rodent host

Parasitism by the flea Synosternus cleopatrae does not affect the body mass of its principal rodent host, Gerbillus andersoni under natural infestation levels. We hypothesized that the lack of negative effects of flea parasitism on rodent body mass could be related either to the low level of natural infestation or to the differential susceptibility of rodent age cohorts to flea parasitism. We tested these hypotheses by measuring body mass change under flea parasitism in (a) adult rodents infested with fleas above the natural infestation level (the first hypothesis) and (b) juvenile rodents infested with fleas at natural infestation levels (the second hypothesis). Adult individuals parasitized by a number of fleas higher than in nature lost body mass at higher rates than non-parasitized control individuals. Parasitism significantly affected daily body mass change of juvenile gerbils. Juvenile rodents parasitized by fleas at the natural level of infestation lost body mass faster and gained body mass slower than control animals. We suggest that some regulating mechanisms may limit natural flea densities at a point at which the negative effect on hosts is below the accuracy of our measurements. However, natural flea densities are sufficiently high to harm the more susceptible, juvenile cohort.

A Specter of Coexistence: Is Centrifugal Community Organization Haunted by the Ghost of Competition?

In a centrifugally organized community species prefer the same habitat (called “core”) but differ in their secondary habitat preferences. The first model of centrifugal community organization (CCO) predicted that optimally foraging, symmetrically competing species would share use of the core habitat at all density combinations. But one might also assume that the competition in the core habitat is asymmetrical, that is, that one of the species (the dominant) has a behavioral advantage therein. In this study, we asked how should habitat use evolve in a centrifugally organized community if its species compete asymmetrically in the core habitat? To address this question we developed an “isoleg model”. The model predicts that in a centrifugally organized community, asymmetric competition promotes the use of the core habitat exclusively by the dominant species at most points in the state space. The separation of the core habitat use by the species (“the ghost of competition past”) may be either complete or partial (“partial ghost”), and behavior at the stable competitive equilibrium between the species could determine whether coexistence should occur at the “complete-” or the “partial ghost” regions. This version of CCO should be a common feature of competitive systems.

Ectoparasites and age-dependent survival in a desert rodent

Host age is one of the key factors in host-parasite relationships as it possibly affects infestation levels, parasite-induced mortality of a host, and parasite distribution among host individuals. We tested two alternative hypotheses about infestation pattern and survival under parasitism in relation to host age. The first hypothesis assumes that parasites are recruited faster than they die and, thus, suggests that adult hosts will show higher infestation levels than juveniles because the former have more time to accumulate parasites. The second hypothesis assumes that parasites die faster than they are recruited and, thus, suggests that adults will show lower infestation levels because of acquired immune response and/or the mortality of heavily infested juveniles and, thus, selection for less infested adults. As the negative effects of parasites on host are often intensity-dependent, we expected that the age-related differences in infestation may be translated to lower or higher survival under parasitism of adults, in the cases of the first and the second hypotheses, respectively. We manipulated ectoparasite numbers using insecticide and assessed the infestation pattern in adult and juvenile gerbils (Gerbillus andersoni) in the Negev Desert. We found only a partial support for age-dependent parasitism. No age-related differences in infestation and distribution among host individuals were found after adjusting the ectoparasite numbers to the host's surface area. However, age-related differences in survival under parasitism were revealed. The survival probability of parasitized juveniles decreased in about 48% compared to unparasitized hosts while the survival probability of adults was not affected by ectoparasites. Our results suggest that the effect of host age on host-parasite dynamics may not explicitly be determined by age-dependent differences in ectoparasite recruitment or mortality processes but may also be affected by other host-related and parasite-related traits.

Age-biased parasitism and density-dependent distribution of fleas (Siphonaptera) on a desert rodent

Parasites often confront conflicting demands when evaluating and distributing themselves among host individuals, in order to attain maximum reproductive success. We tested two alternative hypotheses about host preference by fleas in relation to the age of their rodent host. The first hypothesis suggests that fleas select adult over juvenile rodents because the latter represent a better nutritional resource (the "well-fed host" hypothesis), whereas the second hypothesis suggests that fleas prefer the weaker and less resistant juveniles because they are easier to colonise and exploit ("poorly fed host" hypothesis). We sampled fleas (Synosternus cleopatrae) on the gerbil (Gerbillus andersoni) in 23 different plots in the Negev desert and found an unequal distribution of fleas between adult and juvenile hosts. Furthermore, flea distribution changed as a function of flea density-from juvenile-biased flea parasitism (the "poorly fed host" hypothesis) at low densities to adult-biased flea parasitism (the "well-fed host" hypothesis) at high densities. Other factors that influenced flea preference were soil temperature and the presence of ticks. These results suggest that host selection is not an explicit alternative choice between adults and juveniles ("well-fed host" versus "poorly fed host" hypotheses), but rather a continuum where the distribution between adults and juveniles depends on host, parasite, and environmentally related factors.

Inter-specific competitors reduce inter-gender competition in Negev Desert gerbils

We examined gender-dependent competitive interactions between two nocturnal desert gerbil species, Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi and G. pyramidum, by a field manipulation experiment. The study was done in two 1-ha enclosed plots and included allopatric (only G. a. allenbyi) and sympatric (both species together) treatments. Seed trays and thermal imaging cameras were used to observe the gerbils' foraging activities and aggressive interactions. We found that the negative effect of the competitively dominant species, G. pyramidum, on time spent in seed trays, and ability to control these artificial food patches, was stronger on male than on female G. a. allenbyi. Consequently, the aggression of male G. a. allenbyi towards female G. a. allenbyi was markedly reduced, indicating that the dominant species mediated competition between the genders of the subordinate species. Furthermore, this interference-mediated indirect effect was associated with a decrease in the body mass of male G. a. allenbyi and an increase in the survival of female G. a. allenbyi. We suggest that both the reduction in intra-specific aggression and the positive effect on female survival can potentially stabilize competitive interactions and promote coexistence in this small mammal community.

Scale-dependent habitat selection in migratory frugivorous passerines

Frugivorous migrants may select fruit-rich habitats en route to attain high food rewards, yet their stopover behavior may also be shaped by other considerations, such as predation risk. During 1996-2001 we investigated autumn stopover habitat use of three Sylvia warblers (sylviids; S. hortensis, S. atricapilla and S. curruca) and three Turdidae chats (turdids; Cercotrichas galactotes, Oenanthe hispanica and Phoenicurus phoenicurus) in planted groves of the fruiting tree Pistacia atlantica in Lahav Forest, Israel, which is located at the edge of a desert. We used fecal analysis, a constant-effort trapping scheme and field observations to estimate the extent of frugivory, and bird habitat and microhabitat selection with regard to natural fruit and foliage densities. We also measured bird microhabitat selection in a set of fruit-manipulated trees. We trapped a total of 2,357 birds during the course of the study. Although sylviids exhibited higher frugivory level than turdids, both species groups exhibited a similar significantly positive correlation between bird and fruit densities at the habitat scale. However, at the microhabitat scale, sylviids selected densely foliated trees, whilst turdids were randomly distributed among trees. Our findings suggest that both species groups selected fruit-rich stopover habitats to take advantage of the high food availability before the demanding migration journey. No other mechanism except predation avoidance can explain the sylviids' microhabitat selection; the migrants used foliage cover to reduce bird detectability by raptors. We conclude that en route passerines may use staging habitats in a sophisticated manner, by adopting scale-related behavior with regard to the availability of food and refuge cover.

The impact of long-term continuous risk of predation on two species of gerbils

Individuals of Gerbillus allenbyi Thomas, 1918 were subjected to artificial illumination in large field enclosures (2-ha sandy-substrate plots in the Negev Desert, Israel). The illumination was similar to that provided by a full moon and was used to mimic the elevated risk of avian predation that accompanies a full moon. We artificially illuminated the enclosures during all hours of darkness for 3 consecutive months. In some cases, we also added individuals of Gerbillus pyramidum Geoffroy, 1825 to provide a competitive challenge for the G. allenbyi. In the presence of the light source, individuals of G. allenbyi shifted their foraging activity to favor experimental areas of darkness. They also foraged less in the open and more beneath bushes. In the absence of the light source, G. allenbyi shifted its activity from the subplot with G. pyramidum to the subplot without the competitor. However, the competitive effect of the G. pyramidum disappeared in plots that were artificially illuminated. These results closely resemble those of earlier experiments during which we increased the apparent risk of predation in brief pulses lasting only 2 h/night.

The ecology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Nizzana, Israel: infection patterns in the reservoir host, and epidemiological implications

We conducted an extensive interdisciplinary study in an emerging focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Western Negev Desert of Israel between July 1998 and February 2000. The aims of the this study were to determine (1) the reservoir hosts, (2) the distribution of the pathogen within the host range, (3) the associations of host, vector, and pathogen within defined habitats, (4) the demographic distribution of the pathogen within the host populations, and (5) to apply the newly acquired epizootiological data to explain morbidity patterns in humans. Fourteen square (60 m width) sampling plots were delimited in three types of habitats each with a different kind of substrate: loess, sand, and sand-loess ecotone. Rodents and sand flies were trapped and several environmental variables were measured. Leishmania infections in rodents were detected microscopically in stained smears of ear tissue and by a Leishmania-specific polymerase chain reaction. Results indicate that, contrary to previous reports, Psammomys obesus and not Meriones crassus is the main reservoir host in the region. Additional rodents (12 Gerbillus dasyurus and two M. crassus) were also found positive for Leishmania DNA. Prevalence of Leishmania infections amongst P. obesus was highest in loess habitats (65%), intermediate in the sandy-loess ecotone (20%), and 0% in the sandy habitats. Psammomys obesus individuals in the loess habitat of the Nizzana ruins were larger, on average (probably older), than those in the sandy habitat of the Mt. Keren junction. Sand fly density was positively correlated to soil moisture being higher in the relatively humid plots of Nizzana ruins and much lower in the drier sandy soil of Mt. Keren. Elucidation of fundamental ecological factors affecting this disease has helped explain an apparent discrepancy between the distribution of the disease in the zoonotic system and among humans.