The burrowing and movement ability of the New Zealand cockle Austrovenus stutchburyi is reduced when infected by echinostome trematodes. Previous experimental evidence from a single site suggests that this parasite-induced behavioural change of a key bivalve can affect the structure of the surrounding benthic community. By using multiple regression analyses on data collected from 17 intertidal ...

Although there is growing evidence that males tend to suffer higher levels of parasitism than females, the implications of this for the population dynamics of the host population are not yet understood. Here we build on an established ‘two-sex’ model and investigate how increased susceptibility to infection in males affects the dynamics, under different mating systems. We investigate the effect...

Females of brood parasitic shiny cowbirds, Molothrus bonariensis, search and prospect host nests, synchronizing parasitism with laying. This behavior is sex-specific, as females perform this task without male's assistance. Host nests must be removed from the female’s memory "library" after being parasitized, to avoid repeated parasitism, or when they become unavailable because predation. Thus, ...

The phenology of parasitism of the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by Tetrastichus julis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was studied in small grain fields from 2000 to 2005 in northern Utah, after release and redistribution of the partially bivoltine larval parasitoid during the 1990s. Host larvae first occurred in May, with peak infestation typically oc...

Secreted proteins coded by parasitism genes expressed in esophageal gland cells mediate infection and parasitism of plants by root-knot nematodes. An essential parasitism gene, designated as 16D10, encodes a conserved root-knot nematode secretory peptide that stimulates root growth and functions as a ligand for a plant transcription factor. Plants were engineered to silence this parasitism gene...

Sexual selection can improve population fitness and purge deleterious mutation from the gene pool by promoting condition-dependent mate selection. One ecological factor that reduces individual condition is parasitism. Parasitism tends to increase hosts' load likely indicates inferior host genetic quality. Parasite-mediated selection, therefore, should favour mating success of parasite-resistant...

Referential alarm calls that denote specific types of dangers are common across diverse vertebrate lineages. Different can indicate a variety threats, which often require actions to evade. Thus, benefit from the call, listeners referential must be able decode signaled threat and respond it in an appropriate manner. Yellow warblers ( Setophaga petechia ) produce “seet” signal conspecifics presen...

Homalodisca coagulata (Say) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) eggs 1–10 days of age were exposed to Gonatocerus ashmeadi Girault, Gonatocerus triguttatus Girault, and Gonatocerus fasciatus Girault (all Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in no choice laboratory trials to investigate egg age utilization and to determine which egg ages are vulnerable to attack by these three parasitoids. The H. coagulata egg ages th...

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gene expression related to immunity for hymenoptaecin (AmHym) and defensin-1 (AmDef-1), longevity for vitellogenin (AmVit2) and stem cell proliferation for poly U binding factor 68 kDa (AmPuf68) was compared following Varroa destructor parasitism, buffer injection and injection of V. destructor compounds in its homogenate. In adults, V. destructor parasitism decreased...