Evol Ecol Res 2: 171-184 (2000)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

Sex ratio and virulence in two species of lizard malaria parasites

John Pickering,1,2 Andrew F. Read,3 Stella Guerrero1 and Stuart A. West1,3

1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Republic of Panama, 2Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2602, USA and 3Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK

Address all correspondence to Stuart A. West, Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK.
e-mail: stu.west@ed.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

Evolutionary theory predicts that both the virulence and the sex ratio of a parasite can depend upon its population structure, and be positively correlated. With only one or a low number of strains within a host, a low sex ratio and a relatively low virulence are predicted. With high numbers of strains within a host, a more even sex ratio and a high parasite virulence are predicted. We examined gametocyte sex ratio and a possible correlate of virulence, parasite density (parasitaemia), in natural populations of two species causing lizard malaria, Plasmodium tropiduri’ and P. balli. The mean sex ratios of both species were female-biased, consistent with estimate selfing rates of 0.36 and 0.48 respectively. In P. tropiduri’, as we predicted, a positive correlation was also observed between our measure of virulence, parasitaemia and the gametocyte sex ratio. Furthermore, the gametocyte sex ratio was positively correlated with gametocyte density (gametocytaemia). This is consistent with facultative sex allocation in response to variable population structure if gametocytaemia is an indicator of the number of clones within a host. These relationships were not observed in P. balli.

Keywords: gametocytes, parasitaemia, Plasmodium, population structure, selfing, virulence.

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        © 2000 Stuart A. West. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

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