02492nas a2200289 4500008004100000022001400041245011700055210006900172260001200241300000900253520160900262653001001871653002801881100002601909700001901935700001801954700002101972700001901993700002102012700001602033700001902049700001702068700001802085700001902103700002402122856005602146 2020 eng d a0932-011300aSex interacts with age-dependent change in the abundance of lice-infesting Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis)0 aSex interacts with agedependent change in the abundance of licei c06-2021 a7 pp3 a

Sex-biassed and age-biassed parasite infections are common in nature, including ectoparasites-vertebrate host systems. We investigated the effect of Amur Falcons’ sex, age and body size on the abundance of their lice at a migratory stopover site, where the falcons’ habitat use and behaviour are more homogeneous across sex and age categories than during the breeding season. We sampled Amur Falcons in Nagaland, India at major roosting sites in 2016. We applied generalized linear models (with negative binomial distribution and log-link) to model the abundance of their two most numerous lice (Colpocephalum subzerafae and Degeeriella rufa) using the host age category (juvenile or adult) and wing length, both in interaction with sex, as explanatory variables. The abundance of C. subzerafae was only affected by host age, being nearly four times higher on juveniles than on adults. Juveniles were also more infested with D. rufa than the adults. Additionally, the abundance of the latter species was lower on adult male Falcons as compared to adult females. A juvenile bias in ectoparasite infestations is common in nature, probably due to juveniles being immunologically naïve, more resource-limited and may be inexperienced in body maintenance behaviours like preening and grooming. On the other hand, female-biassed infestations are much rarer than male-biassed infestations. We briefly discuss the possible causes of female-biassed infestations on Amur Falcons reported here, and in the closely related Red-footed Falcon and Lesser Kestrel as reported in the literature.

10alouse10aSex-biassed infestation1 aPiross, Imre, Sándor1 aSiliwal, Manju1 aKumar, Suresh1 aPalatitz, Péter1 aSolt, Szabolcs1 aBorbáth, Péter1 aVili, Nóra1 aMagonyi, Nóra1 aVas, Zoltán1 aRózsa, Lajos1 aHarnos, Andrea1 aFehérvári, Péter uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-020-06753-w02709nas a2200325 4500008004100000022001400041245009800055210006900153260001600222300001600238490000800254520173800262653001202000653001702012653002702029653002602056100002602082700001902108700001902127700002302146700002102169700002002190700002302210700001602233700001702249700001802266700001902284700002402303856005602327 2020 eng d a0932-011300aSex-dependent changes in the louse abundance of red-footed falcons (Falco vespertinus)0 aSexdependent changes in the louse abundance of redfooted falcons cJan-04-2020 a1327 - 13350 v1193 a

Permanent ectoparasites live in stable environments; thus, their population dynamics are mostly adapted to changes in the host life cycle. We aimed to investigate how static and dynamic traits of red-footed falcons interplay with the dynamics of their louse subpopulations during breeding and how they affect the colonisation of new hosts by lice. We sampled red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) nestlings (two breeding seasons) and adults (one breeding season) in southern Hungary. The mean abundance of Colpocephalum subzerafae and Degeeriella rufa lice on the nestlings was modelled with generalized linear mixed models using clutch size and host sex in interaction with wing length. For adults, we used wing length and the number of days after laying the first egg, both in interaction with sex. D. rufa abundances increased with the nestlings’ wing length. In one year, this trend was steeper on females. In adult birds, both louse species exhibited higher abundances on females at the beginning, but it decreased subsequently through the breeding season. Contrarily, abundances were constantly low on adult males. Apparently, D. rufa postpones transmission until nestlings develop juvenile plumage and choose the more feathered individual among siblings. The sexual difference in the observed abundance could either be caused by the different plumage, or by the females’ preference for less parasitized males. Moreover, females likely have more time to preen during the incubation period, lowering their louse burdens. Thus, sex-biased infestation levels likely arise due to parasite preferences in the nestlings and host behavioural processes in the adult falcons.

10aecology10aectoparasite10aSex-biased infestation10aVertical transmission1 aPiross, Imre, Sándor1 aSolt, Szabolcs1 aHorváth, Éva1 aKotymán, László1 aPalatitz, Péter1 aBertók, Péter1 aSzabó, Krisztián1 aVili, Nóra1 aVas, Zoltán1 aRózsa, Lajos1 aHarnos, Andrea1 aFehérvári, Péter uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-020-06634-2