02176nas a2200133 4500008004100000245010500041210006900146260008000215300001100295490001000306520165100316100002601967856004901993 2011 eng d00aThe role of scent and ectoparasites in the ecology of the crested auklet (Aethia cristatella)0 arole of scent and ectoparasites in the ecology of the crested au aSt. John's, Newfoundland, CanadabMemorial University of Newfoundlandc2011 a255 pp0 vM.Sc.3 a

Ectoparasites are ubiquitous, and can have negative effects on their hosts. The prevalence and intensity of ectoparasites are important in determining their effects. Prevalence can vary greatly, from near absence to all host individuals in a population being parasitized. Intensity can also vary greatly. Negative impacts of parasitizes can create the pressure required for a natural defence mechanism to evolve in hosts. Crested Auklets (Aethia cristella, Alcidae; Aethiini) are colonial seabirds that produce a unique tangerine-like scent. There are two hypotheses proposed for this scent's function: 1) as a pheromone; and 2) to reduce ectoparasite levels by repelling ticks and lice. My study is broken into three sections: 1) measuring the prevalence and intensity of ticks on Aethia auklets and determining the relationship of body condition and ornamentation to tick parasitism; 2) measuring the prevalence and intensity of lice on Least (Aethia pusilla) and Crested Auklets and the determining relationship of body condition and ornament expression to lice parasitism; and 3) the relationship of Crested Auklet scent to ectoparasite intensity and tick deterrence. I determined that prevalence and intensity of ticks and lice had no relationship with body condition or ornament expression on any hosts species. Lice or tick intensity were not related to naturally occurring scent levels but ticks were less likely to attach to scented objects. My study suggests that when parasitism is low in Crested and Least Auklets the need for a parasite defence is reduced and will obsure any relationship among quality and parasite load

1 aMunro, Hannah, Jarvis uhttps://core.ac.uk/display/33555149?source=301634nas a2200133 4500008004100000245011900041210006900160260008000229300001200309490001000321520110600331100002401437856003901461 2000 eng d00aEctoparasites of auks (Alcidae) at the gannet islands, Labrador: diversity, ecology and host parasite interactions0 aEctoparasites of auks Alcidae at the gannet islands Labrador div aSt. John's, Newfoundland, CanadabMemorial University of Newfoundlandc2000 a1 - 1040 vM.Sc.3 a

In seabirds, ectoparasites have been shown to cause everything from minor irritation and disease transmission to nest-desertion and death of both adults and chicks. I undertook my study to provide a better understanding of ectoparasite community structure using four auks and their ectoparasites as a model, and to attempt to derive some general principles that might be responsible for the persistence of ectoparasites on their seabird hosts. -- My thesis is presented in five chapters. The present chapter has summarized the rationale and background encompassing the objectives of the study and introduces the major group to which the host species in my study belong. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 are presented in the format of papers to be sent for publication in international, peer-reviewed, scientific journals. The quantifications and statistical analyses are different in each chapter and references are made to other chapters wherever appropriate. Chapter 5 summarizes the findings of Chapters 2, 3 and 4 in a more generalized form with suggestions for possible future research

 

1 aBin Muzaffar, Sabir uhttps://core.ac.uk/reader/11701180