Sex-specific effects of infection in an island endemic wildlife species.

Presence and impacts of pathogen infections in wildlife are known to be determined by a hierarchical set of factors including host, habitat, and general environment characteristics. While an increased number of studies have been documenting host-parasite interactions in natural systems, little is known about these impacts in island ecosystems. To elucidate the impacts of infection in island populations, we investigate the effects of Hepatazoon (and apicomplexan hemoparasite) wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii) populations, on 17 Cycladic islands (Aegean Sea, Greece). Specifically, we evaluated the effects of infection on multiple aspects of lizard life history from lizards from these islands. We found significant declines of condition in infected populations, though only in male lizards, suggesting a sex-specific response to infection. Mixed model analyses also suggest that some island level characteristics can affect the health and locomotion of lizards. These results indicate variability in the impacts of malarial infection across populations of P. erhardii.Master of Science (MS)School for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/172153/3/Terry, Hal_ThesisV2.pd