INALI   02622
INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE LIMNOLOGIA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Impact of botfly (Philornis pici) parasitism on growth and survival House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) nestlings
Autor/es:
QUIROGA, M.; REBOREDA, J.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
Editorial:
Wiley-Blackwell
Referencias:
Lugar: Richmond; Año: 2008
ISSN:
0273-8570
Resumen:
Abstract. Flies
of the genus Philornis (botflies)
have larvae that live subcutaneously on altricial nestlings. Some studies have shown that these larvae have
sub-lethal or lethal effects on their hosts, while others found no evidence of
detrimental effects. We used a large set of
observational data to study the impact of botfly (P. pici) parasitism on growth and survival of House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) nestlings. We
analyzed if: 1) differences in intensity and latency of botfly parasitism among
broods, and 2) differences in intensity of parasitism and hatching order within
broods, were associated with probability of nestling survival. Prevalence of
botfly parasitism was 25% (n = 157
broods), while mean intensity and latency of parasitism were 12.8 larvae per
nestling and 3.9 days, respectively. Nestling survival in infested broods was
42% of the one in non-infested broods. Among infested broods, the proportion of
nestlings that survived was negatively associated with intensity of parasitism,
and positively associated with age of the brood at the time it was parasitized.
Within infested broods, there was no association between intensity of
parasitism and nestling survival, but first hatched nestlings had a higher
probability of survival than last hatched nestlings. Infested nestlings that
survived had lower growth rates of head plus bill length, wing length, and body
mass, than nestlings in non-infested broods. Our results indicate that P. pici have lethal and sub-lethal
effects on House Wren nestlings and that intensity of parasitism and age of
nestlings at the time they are infested are two important factors that
influence nestling survival.