Behavioural resistance against a protozoan parasite in the monarch butterfly

Abstract

Summary 1.As parasites can dramatically reduce the fitness of their hosts, there should be strong selection for hosts to evolve and maintain defence mechanisms against their parasites. One way in which hosts may protect themselves against parasitism is through altered behaviours, but such defences have been much less studied than other forms of parasite resistance. 2. We studied whether monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) use altered behaviours to protect themselves and their offspring against the protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (McLaughlin & Myers (1970), Journal of Protozoology, 17, p. 300). In particular, we studied whether (i) monarch larvae can avoid contact with infectious parasite spores; (ii) infected larvae preferentially consume therapeutic food plants when given a choice or increase the intake of such plants in the absence of choice; and (iii) infected female butterflies preferentially lay their eggs on medicinal plants that make their offspring less sick. 3. We found that monarch larvae were unable to avoid infectious parasite spores. Larvae were also not able to preferentially feed on therapeutic food plants or increase the ingestion of such plants. However, infected female butterflies preferentially laid their eggs on food plants that reduce parasite growth in their offspring. 4. Our results suggest that animals may use altered behaviours as a protection against parasites and that such behaviours may be limited to a single stage in the host-parasite life cycle. Our results also suggest that animals may use altered behaviours to protect their offspring instead of themselves. Thus, our study indicates that an inclusive fitness approach should be adopted to study behavioural defences against parasites.

Not all are free‐living: high‐throughput DNA metabarcoding reveals a diverse community of protists parasitizing soil metazoa

“…Taken into account that parasites can have profound impacts on host behaviour and fitness (Lefèvre et al . ) with the potential to control host communities (Moreira & López‐García ) and change food web structures (Cirtwill & Stouffer ), the ecological significance of parasites of soil metazoa needs more attention.…”

Non-Genetic Determinants of Mosquito Competence for Malaria Parasites

“…Since Plasmodium decreases mosquito fitness, natural selection should favor the evolution of defenses against it. Besides immunological defenses, insect hosts can use behavioral defenses including avoidance, behavioral fever, and self-medication to better resist or tolerate their parasites ( Figure 2 , [40], [93]–[95]). Despite increasing evidence for environment-mediated resistance against malaria parasites, mosquito behavioral immunity remains an overlooked defense strategy.…”

Explaining Human Recreational Use of ‘pesticides’: The Neurotoxin Regulation Model of Substance Use vs. the Hijack Model and Implications for Age and Sex Differences in Drug Consumption

“…Originally proposed as a primate behavior, evidence for self-medication is now available from diverse non-human species, including fruit flies (40, 41), ants (44), moths (39), butterflies (45, 46), honeybees (47, 48), birds (42), sheep (49), goats (50), and Neanderthals (51). In many of these studies (but not all), animals increase toxin intake in response to infection.…”