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Infection with cowpox virus decreases female maturation rates in wild populations of woodland rodents
Author(s) -
Telfer Sandra,
Bennett Malcolm,
Bown Kevin,
Carslake David,
Cavanagh Rachel,
Hazel Sarah,
Jones Trevor,
Begon Michael
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
oikos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.672
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1600-0706
pISSN - 0030-1299
DOI - 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13734.x
Subject(s) - biology , bank vole , cowpox virus , fecundity , wood mouse , host (biology) , reproduction , apodemus agrarius , zoology , population , apodemus , virus , ecology , seasonal breeder , virology , rodent , demography , vaccinia , biochemistry , sociology , gene , recombinant dna
Sublethal effects of parasitic infection, such as reductions in reproductive rate, can significantly affect host population dynamics. Here we show that in wild populations of both Clethrionomys glareolus (bank vole) and Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse), females infected with cowpox virus are likely to delay maturation and therefore reproduction – in most cases until the following breeding season. Some infected bank voles do mature in their year of birth but still take longer than uninfected females. Together with our previous demonstration that individuals infected with cowpox virus in the summer survive better than uninfected individuals, these results support the prediction that hosts that develop an acute infection may best optimise their fitness by decreasing current reproduction to maximise the probability of surviving infection. Moreover, as the proportion of individuals infected increases with density, the reduction in host fecundity may have significant consequences for host dynamics.