Wr. Brawner et Ge. Hill, Temporal variation in shedding of coccidial oocysts: implications for sexual-selection studies, CAN J ZOOL, 77(2), 1999, pp. 347-350
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE ZOOLOGIE
Studies of the effects of parasites on the sexual ornamentation and behavio
r of animals are becoming increasingly common. A potential difficulty in ma
ny studies of this type is the accurate assessment of parasite prevalence w
ithin a population and of the parasite burden of individual hosts. We prese
nt data that illustrate how a simple factor such as the time of day at whic
h samples are collected can drastically alter the results of parasite asses
sments. House finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) infected with coccidians of th
e genus Isospora shed oocysts in their feces predominantly during the late
afternoon. The importance of recognizing such circumstances (e.g., diurnal
periodicity) is discussed in the light of possible negative effects on stud
ies of host-parasite relationships.