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Tick parasitism impairs contest behavior in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

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Abstract

Parasites may impair host behavior in ways that reduce host fitness, especially when access to territories or mates becomes disrupted. Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) are a key host to western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus). Males are highly aggressive during the mating season, competing with rivals through displays of color badges, pushups, and other behaviors. We hypothesized that experimental tick infestation diminishes the performance of male western fence lizards in intrasexual contests, via either blood loss, damage to sensory structures, or both. We infested adult males with larval ticks for 7 to 10 days, staged contests between infested and quality-matched control males, and measured their behavior in enclosure arenas. Infested lizards were less aggressive and exhibited decreased hematocrit, compared to non-infested animals. We found no relationships between aggression and either body size or blue ventral badge color traits, for either infested or uninfested males. There was also no effect of tick attachment location and hemoparasite infection on host contest behavior. This is the first demonstration of the impact of I. pacificus parasitism on intraspecific interactions of western fence lizards and suggests that tick infestation has substantial impacts on lizard fitness. Because I. pacificus rely heavily on these lizards for blood meals and dispersal, these impacts could also influence the abundance of ticks and the pathogens they vector.

Significance statement

Parasitism frequently impairs host behavior. We investigated the effect of blacklegged tick parasitism on western fence lizard contest behavior using a lab-based manipulation experiment. We demonstrated that tick infestation reduced lizard aggressiveness, which may lead to territory loss and reduced mating opportunities in the wild. We found no evidence that host body size or coloration are correlated with aggression. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that tick parasitism is costly for lizards, while demonstrating the usefulness of manipulation experiments to understand host-parasite interactions.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Dryad repository, https://datadryad.org/stash/share/kARmkdRbTxF4u3BqN1PCbpiiRneFQ0CvL_IUeYG2AC4.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the two anonymous reviewers whose feedback greatly improved the manuscript, Emily Taylor for her help in conceptualizing this project, David Clendenen for photography, Heather Neldner for assistance with animal husbandry, Doug Brewster for help in constructing animal housing, Aaron Lazanoff for providing cattle for tick feedings, Christy Strand for providing video surveillance cameras, and John Walker for feedback on statistical methods. We also thank Rebeca Almeida, Eric Gonzales, Kei Iemori, Fiona Kelly, Julius Larion, Connor Maldonado, Andrew Morris, Lucy Ramirez, Esmeralda Sanchez, Jenna Van Mouwerik, and other members of the Vredevoe lab for their general assistance.

Code availability

Custom code created during the current study is available in the Dryad repository, https://datadryad.org/stash/share/kARmkdRbTxF4u3BqN1PCbpiiRneFQ0CvL_IUeYG2AC4.

Funding

Funding came from the Baker/Koob Endowment and the California Polytechnic State University College Based Fees.

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  1. Dylan M. Lanser

    Present address: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, 3503 Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, 451 Health Sciences Dr, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407-0401, USA

    Dylan M. Lanser, Larisa K. Vredevoe & Gita R. Kolluru

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Correspondence to Gita R. Kolluru.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the use of animals were followed. Use of animals was approved by the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol #1609), and a California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit (#SC-013426 to DL). Consent to participate is not applicable.

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Lanser, D.M., Vredevoe, L.K. & Kolluru, G.R. Tick parasitism impairs contest behavior in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 75, 40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-02980-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-02980-y

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