02492nas a2200289   4500008004100000022001400041245011700055210006900172260001200241300000900253520160900262653001001871653002801881100002601909700001901935700001801954700002101972700001901993700002102012700001602033700001902049700001702068700001802085700001902103700002402122856005602146       2020                        eng d  a0932-011300aSex interacts with age-dependent change in the abundance of lice-infesting Amur Falcons (<i>Falco amurensis</i>)0 aSex interacts with agedependent change in the abundance of licei  c06-2021  a7 pp3 a<p>Sex-biassed and age-biassed parasite infections are common in nature, including ectoparasites-vertebrate host systems. We investigated the effect of Amur Falcons&rsquo; sex, age and body size on the abundance of their lice at a migratory stopover site, where the falcons&rsquo; 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 na&iuml;ve, 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.</p>
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-w