Invest more and die faster: The life history of a parasite on intensive farms

Overview
TitleInvest more and die faster: The life history of a parasite on intensive farms
AuthorsMennerat A, Ugelvik MS, Håkonsrud Jensen C, Skorping A
TypeJournal Article
Journal NameEvolutionary applications
Volume10
Issue9
Year2017
Page(s)890-896
CitationMennerat A, Ugelvik MS, Håkonsrud Jensen C, Skorping A. Invest more and die faster: The life history of a parasite on intensive farms. Evolutionary applications. 2017 Oct; 10(9):890-896.

Abstract

Organisms are expected to respond to alterations in their survival by evolutionary changes in their life history traits. As agriculture and aquaculture have become increasingly intensive in the past decades, there has been growing interest in their evolutionary effects on the life histories of agri- and aquacultural pests, parasites, and pathogens. In this study, we used salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) to explore how modern farming might have affected life history evolution in parasites. We infected salmon hosts with lice from either farmed or unfarmed locations, and monitored life history traits of those parasites in laboratory conditions. Our results show that compared to salmon lice from areas unaffected by salmon farming, those from farmed areas produced more eggs in their first clutch, and less eggs later on; they achieved higher infestation intensities in early adulthood, but suffered higher adult mortality. These results suggest that salmon lice on farms may have been selected for increased investment in early reproduction, at the expense of later fecundity and survival. This call for further empirical studies of the extent to which farming practices may alter the virulence of agricultural parasites.

Author Details
Additional information about authors:
Details
1Adèle Mennerat
2Mathias Stølen Ugelvik
3Camilla Håkonsrud Jensen
4Arne Skorping
Properties
Additional details for this publication include:
Property NameValue
Publication ModelElectronic-eCollection
ISSN1752-4571
pISSN1752-4571
Publication Date2017 Oct
Journal AbbreviationEvol Appl
DOI10.1111/eva.12488
Elocation10.1111/eva.12488
LanguageEnglish
Language Abbreng
Publication TypeJournal Article
Journal CountryEngland
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DatabaseAccession
PMID: PMID:29151880