Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T11:47:09.221Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gastrointestinal nematodes depress food intake in naturally infected reindeer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2010

P. Arneberg ,
I. Folstad  and
A. J. Karter
P. Arneberg
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology/Zoology, University of Tromse, Norway
I. Folstad
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology/Zoology, University of Tromse, Norway
A. J. Karter
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology/Zoology, University of Tromse, Norway
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Models have predicted that directly transmitted macroparasites may influence the abundance of forage plants in herbivore grazing systems by reducing the food intake of their host. Evidence of parasite-induced alterations in host food intake is, however, limited mainly to sheep, cattle and laboratory rodents. We estimated the effect of naturally acquired parasite infections on the appetite of reindeer. Food intake was significantly lower in infected reindeer compared to animals in which the parasites had been experimentally removed. Among the infected animals there was a significant negative relationship between intensity of the directly transmitted macroparasites (i. e. gastrointestinal nematodes) and mean food intake, indicating that the lower food intake was caused by these parasites. The time-specific onset of depression in food intake is also consistent with seasonality in the pathogenic effect from gastrointestinal nematodes. This shows that parasite-induced changes in herbivore food intake is not restricted to agricultural systems, and implies that parasites may have impact on the dynamics of a wide range of herbivore plant communities.

Keywords

reindeerfood intakeparasitesgrazing system dynamics
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 112 , Issue 2 , February 1996 , pp. 213 - 219
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, R. M. & May, R. M. (1978). Regulation and stability of host-parasite population interactions. I. Regulatory processes. Journal of Animal Ecology 47, 219–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armour, J. & Duncan, M. (1987). Arrested larval development in cattle nematodes. Parasitology Today 3, 171–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bye, K. (1987). Abomasal nematodes from three Norwegian wild reindeer populations. Canadian Journal of Zoology 65, 667–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, W., Fisher, M., Stapley, E., Albertsschonberg, G., Jacop, T. & Schonberg, G. (1983). Ivermectin: a potent new antiparasitic agent. Science 221, 823–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dobson, A. & Crawley, M. (1994). Pathogens and the structure of plant communities. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 9, 393–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Enterocasso, C., Mckellar, Q., Parkins, J. J., Bairden, K., Armour, J. & Kloosterman, A. (1986). The sequential development of type I and type II ostertagiasis in young cattle with special references to biochemical and serological changes. Veterinary Parasitology 21, 173–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folstad, I., Nilssen, A. C., Halvorsen, O. & Andersen, J. (1989). Why do male reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus) have higher abundance of second and third instar larvae of Hypoderma tarandi than females? Oikos 55, 87–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, B. T. (1988). Gastrointestinal nematode parasites and the stability and productivity of intensive ruminant grazing systems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 321, 541–63.Google ScholarPubMed
Grenfell, B. T. (1992). Parasitism and the dynamics of ungulate grazing systems. American Naturalist 139, 907–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gulland, F. M. D. (1992). The role of parasites in soay sheep (Ovis aries L.) mortality during a host population crash. Parasitology 105, 493–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halvorsen, O. & Wissler, K. (1983). Methods for estimating the density of Elaphostrongylus rangiferi Mitskevich (Nematoda, Metastrongyloidea) larvae in faeces from reindeer, Rangifer tarandus L. Rangifer 3, 33–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, J. W., Nansen, P. & Foldager, J. (1981). The importance of stocking rate to the uptake of gastrointestinal nematodes by grazing calves. In Epidemiology and Control of Nematodiasis in Cattle (ed. Nansen, P., Jergensen, R. J. & Soulsby, F. J. L. ), pp. 471–96. Brussels: EEC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, B. (1988). Biological basis of the behaviour of sick animals. Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews 12, 123–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haugerud, R. E., Nilssen, A. C. & Rognmo, A. (1993). On the efficacy of ivermectin against the reindeer sinus worm Linguatula arctica (Pentastomida), with a review on ivermectin treatment in reindeer. Rangifer 13, 157–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heggstad, E., BØ, E. & Lenvik, D. (1986). Treatment of reindeer calves with ivermectin in their first autumn. Effect on live-weight the following autumn. Rangifer No. 1 Appendix, 77–9 (in Norwegian).Google Scholar
Holmes, P. H. (1987). Pathophysiology of nematode infections. International Journal for Parasitology 17, 443–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnston, J., Familton, A., Mcanulty, R. & Sykes, A. (1984). Pathogenicity of O. Circumcincta, O. Ostertagi and H. contortus in weanling stag fawns (Cervus elaphus). New Zealand Veterinary Journal 32, 177–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nee, S., Read, A. F. & Harvey, P. H. (1995). Why phylogenies are necessary for comparative analysis. In Phytogenies and the Comparative Method in Animal Behavior (ed. Martins, E.). (in the Press).Google Scholar
Nesbakken, A. (1987). Relationship between reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) social status and the risk of infection with food transmitted nematodes. Cand. Agric. thesis, University of Tromse, Norway (In Norwegian.)Google Scholar
Nordkvist, M., Rehbinder, C., Christensson, D. & Rftnnback, C. (1983). A comparative study on the efficacy of four anthelmintics on some important reindeer parasites. Rangifer 3, 19–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nordkvist, M., Christensson, D. & Rehbinder, C. (1984). A deworming field trial with ivermectin (MSD) in reindeer. Rangifer 4, 10–15 (In Swedish with English summary.)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oksanen, A., Nieminen, M., Soveri, T. & Kumpula, K. (1992). Oral and parenteral administration of ivermectin to reindeer. Veterinary Parasitology 41, 241–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oksanen, A., Nieminen, M. & Soveri, T. (1993). A comparison of topical, subcutaneous and oral administration of ivermectin to reindeer. Veterinary Record 133, 312–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rehbinder, C. & Von Szokolay, P. (1978). The presence of gastric parasites in winter-slaughtered reindeer. Nordisk Veterincer Medicin 30, 214–16.Google ScholarPubMed
Reinecke, R. K. (1994). Parasitic control in intensive vs. non-intensive systems-ruminants. Veterinary Parasitology 54, 49–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skjenneberg, S. & Slagsvold, L. (1968). Reindriften OgDens Naturgrunnlag. Oslo: Universitets forlaget (in Norwegian).Google Scholar
Skogland, T. (1983). The effect of density dependent resource limitation on size of wild reindeer. Oecologia 60, 156–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skogland, T. (1990). Density dependence in a fluctuating wild reindeer herd; maternal vs. off spring effects. Oecologia 84, 442–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Symons, L. (1985). Anorexia: occurrence, pathophysiology, and possible causes in parasitic infections. Advances in Parasitology 24, 103–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, S. (1990). Physiological alterations during parasitism and their effects on host behaviour. In Parasitism and Host Behaviour (ed. Barnard, C. J. & Behnke, J. M. ), pp. 64–94. London: Taylor and Francis.Google Scholar
Tollefsen, L. (1983). Endoparasitter hos rein (Rangifertarandus tarandus L.) med sælig vekt pȧ gastrointestinale Nematoda. Cand. Scient thesis, University of Tromsø, Norway. (In Norwegian.)Google Scholar